Sophocles I: The Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus

By Sophocles

Book Overview

Sophocles I contains the plays "Antigone," translated by Elizabeth Wyckoff; "Oedipus the King," translated by David Grene; and "Oedipus at Colonus," translated by Robert Fitzgerald.

Many years ago, the University of Chicago Press undertook a momentous project: a new translation of the Greek tragedies that would be the ultimate resource for teachers, students, and readers. They succeeded. Under the expert management of eminent classicists David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, those translations combined accuracy, poetic immediacy, and clarity of presentation to render the surviving masterpieces of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides in an English so lively and compelling that they remain the standard translations. The updated third editions of these classic works were designed to ensure that our Greek tragedies remain the leading English-language versions throughout the twenty-first century.

In this highly anticipated third edition, Mark Griffith and Glenn W. Most have carefully updated the translations to bring them even closer to the ancient Greek while retaining the vibrancy for which our English versions are famous. This edition also includes brand-new translations of Euripides' Medea, The Children of Heracles, Andromache, and Iphigenia among the Taurians, fragments of lost plays by Aeschylus, and the surviving portion of Sophocles's satyr-drama The Trackers. New introductions for each play offer essential information about its first production, plot, and reception in antiquity and beyond. In addition, each volume includes an introduction to the life and work of its tragedian, as well as notes addressing textual uncertainties and a glossary of names and places mentioned in the plays.

In addition to the new content, the volumes have been reorganized both within and between volumes to reflect the most up-to-date scholarship on the order in which the plays were originally written. The result is a set of handsome paperbacks destined to introduce new generations of readers to these foundational works of Western drama, art, and life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226311511
• ISBN13: 9780226311517
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Sophocles I

Contains the three tragedies: Oedipus the King Oedipus at Colonus Antigone

of course it's predictable

The previous reviewers who denigrate Oedipus as "predictable" only reveal their own ignorance. Any member of an Ancient Greek audience already knew the story of Oedipus, it'd be like complaining that upon going to Easter Mass, you found the story of the Crucifixion to be predictable; the point was never to have a twist, but to create a relationship between the characters and members of the audience, placing the viewers in direct relation to the mystery of life. The language is gorgeous besides.

Very Readable

Fitts translates the original Greek of Sophocles very lyrically: especially evident in the chorus lines, strophe-antistrophe. All three plays move quickly and are understandable in plain English, good for both personal reading and performance. A great intro into classical literature.

An awesome translation

This is a distinctly poetic translation of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. It is both readable and enjoyable. We explored several versions in my English class, and Robert Fitzgerald does an excellent job constructing memorable lines and beautiful dialogue. If you want to read Sophocles, this is a good translation to choose.

Wonders are many...

"Antigone" is one of the 5 greatest plays in Western literature, and from this beautiful translation, it is easy to see why. The language absolutely captures each dramatic moment, from the first confrontation between Antigone and Creon, to the warnings of Ismene, to the callous indifference of the guards, to the immortal Hymn to Man chorus. Additionally, Knox's introduction is superb. If anyone has any doubt what is meant by "the glory that was Greece," read this wonderful volume from cover to cover--twice.