Product Description
Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated Greek tragedies, the Greek Tragedy in New Translation series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Under the general editorship of Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro, each volume includes a critical introduction, commentary on the text, full stage directions, and a glossary of the mythical and geographical references in the plays.
Brought boldly to life by Herbert Golder and Richard Pevear's translation and contextualized by Herbert Golder's eloquent introduction, this early Sophoclean tragedy tells the story of the Homeric hero better known as Ajax, who was second only to Achilles among the Greek warriors. In Greek tradition, Aias figures as the archaic warrior who dies in shame after his betrayal by the Greeks. Sophocles turns tradition inside out, portraying Aias' suicide not as a disgrace but as heroism. He endows Aias suicide with a meaning radically different from previous versions of the Aias myth--Aias is not the hero whom time has passed by, but rather the man who steps beyond time.Most previous versions and interpretations have equivocated over Sophocles' bold vision. This edition of Aias translates precisely that transformation of the hero from the bygone figure to the man who transcends time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

not in greek,but as close as you could find.
this interpretation offers a great translation of sophocles.Ajax,the greek warrior who took his life too seriuosly or not seriously enough.Ajax is angry because the armour of the fallen Achilles is given to Ulysses and not to him.This is a slight which offends brave Ajax to to the bone,since he believes he is second only to Achilles.So deep does his resentment go that he plans to slaughter his allies in a murderous rage,that he is proud of.Instead he is tricked by the Gods into massacring a herd of farm animals,whom Ajax mistakes for Ulysees and his friends.Was Ajax blinded in a binge of alcoholic excess,or did the Gods actually smite him with a crushing(to Ajax's ego),hallucination?No harm done,since Ajax hasn't killed anyone,except a herd of cattle,could he not just laugh it off with a "Whew what was i thinking?" His wife and friends try to tell him that would probably be the best way out. But Ajax to himself has crossed his own line ,one which only "women" could recross.Now hear Ajax's own words about his reason for not allowing the cattle slaughtering incident to pass as a jest,instead he literally will die of embarrassment,"To stretch your life out when you see that nothing can break its misery is shameful-day after day,moving forward or back from the end line of death.There's no joy in that. Any mortal who warms his heart over empty hopes is worthless in my eyes.Honor in life or in death:if a man is born noble,he must have one or the other.You've heard all there is to say" In other words Ajax believes when he has lost his own self respect,no matter how trivial the reason for it seems to another,he has lost everything.A wonderful rendering of Ajax's last words are given in this interpretation,words that are as pertinent to us today.Pride can cause a fall,but it can also give one a sense of something beyond this world.Who would be the one to judge Ajax's reasoning?After all noone gave more of himself in pursuit of the Trojan War,excepting Achilles, than Ajax.Then when Ajax's allies turn on him he gives out another wise gem to be carried through the ages,"I know now to hate an enemy just so far,for another time we may befriend him.And the friend I help,I will not help too greatly,knowing that one day may find him my enemy.For most mortals friendship is a treacherous harbor." This is a great translation.Poor Ajax,noone took him seriuosly,except to name a bathroom cleanser in memory.This neglected work of Sophocles is short and powerful,and if read,this fresh interpretation could blast the demons from the bowl,like the cleanser.

Sophocles' modernized translation
CONTENT:
Superb translation that smoothes out the antiquated language while always remaining faithful to the original text's meaning. Haunting Cycladic figurine on the front is especially reflective of the tragedy. RATING: 5 stars.

QUALITY OF BOOK:

I'm surprised no Amazon reviewer has remarked on the extremely poor quality of the actual book. With this whole series, Oxford University Press fails to match the superb content with a quality production. After only a few years the pages are turning piss dog yellow and I don't even want to hold the book any more. Acid-free pages would have easily prevented this. RATING: 0 stars.

It is a confusing purchase really,-straps one with the guilt of having to pay money for shoddy materials but knowing that the quality of the translation might be worth it.

My recommendation is to read it from the library and not to purchase any books from the series until a future reprinting hopefully makes the grade. Maybe the publisher can come out with an anthology of their recent translations (like the Chicago University Press has done).

Sophocles on whether or not Ajax deserves a hero's burial
I have always thought of the character of Ajax from the Trojan War to be the prototype of the "dumb jock" stereotype.Next to Achilles he was the best of the Achean warriors, but Ajax was deeply flawed in that he was stubborn and egotistical.I think his intelligence is further called into question by the myth regarding his death, which is the subject of this play by Sophocles.After the death of Achilles it is decided his glorious armor, forged by Hephaestus, will be given to the worthiest of the chieftains.Ajax expects the prize to come to him, but instead the other chieftains vote to give it to "wily" Odysseus.The inference to be drawn is that craftiness and intelligence are to be prize more than brute strength, which is why I tend to identify Odysseus and Ajax with that distinction between brains and brawn.Enraged by this slight, Ajax decides to kill Odysseus and the other chieftains who have slighted him, but Athena clouds his sight and he thinks the camp's livestock are his intended victims.When he comes to his senses, butchering a sheep he thought was Odysseus, Ajax is humiliated to the point he chooses to kill himself.The climax of this play, the oldest of the seven surviving plays written by Sophocles, is not the suicide of Ajax but rather a debate amongst the Achean leaders as to whether or not Ajax should be buried.

The issue central to the play "Ajax" is whether the title character should or should not be considered a true hero by the Greek audience attending the play.Homer, of course, has nothing to say regarding Ajax's fate in the "Iliad," although in the "Odyssey" when Odysseus encounters the shade of Ajax, the dead hero refuses to speak and turns away.However, in his telling of the tale Sophocles adds an important element to the suicide of Ajax.In his first scene when he is discovered amongst the slaughtered livestock, Ajax realizes that his intentions were wrong and that what he has done will make him look ridiculous; he decides to kill himself, ignores the pleas of the chorus, says his farewells to his son and departs.However, in the next episode Ajax returns, apparently reconciled to life; instead of killing himself he will bury his unlucky sword and live a peaceful life.Then a messenger brings the warning of Calchas that Ajax must be kept out of the battle that day.The next thing we know Ajax is cursing the Atreidae and falling on his sword.The change is significant because it makes Ajax's suicide a more rational act.Instead of taking his life in the heat of his embarrassment over what he has done, Sophocles has the character changing his mind twice and ending his life in the grips of a cold hatred against the chieftains.

This sets the stage for the debate amongst the chieftains regarding the burial of Ajax.When Teucer wants to bury the body he is forbidden to do so by Menelaus, who calls Ajax his murderer, focusing on the intentions behind his rampage.Agamemnon also forbids the burial, making an impassioned argument for the rule of law and warning against the reliance of the army upon the strength of a single man, whether he be Ajax or Achilles.Ironically (and we surely expect no less from Sophocles), it is Odysseus who makes the argument in favor of burial.For Odysseus the good outweighs the bad and it is not right to do a man injury when he is dead.This argument certainly echoes the moral at the end of the "Iliad" with regards to way Achilles treats the corpse of Hector.Certainly Ajax was a arrogant brute, obsessed with self-glorification and unfeeling towards his family and people.But when the Trojan army almost succeeded in burning the Achean ships, it was Ajax who stemmed their attack.For Odysseus, and for Sophocles, it is clear that such a man deserves to be considered a hero and demands an appropriate burial. "Ajax" is a minor play by Sophocles, relative to what little has survived of his work, but it does speak to one of the playwright central themes, which is to find that which is heroic in a tragic situation.Having found that spark in the life of Ajax, Sophocles seeks to redeem the tragic figure in this play.

"A brilliant addition to a distinguished series"
"A brilliant addition to a distinguished series".That's what Bernard Knox said, and I couldn't agree more.I think most of us who love the classics will agree that if Knox says it is good, he can be taken at his word!

This translation is by a somewhat unlikely team.I knew Richard Pevear for his stunning, that is the only word for it, translations of great Russian masterworks such as The Idiot, The Demons, The Brothers Karamazov, Anna Karenina and the Master Margarita.These superb translations were undertaken with his wife, Larissa Volkonsky, and I urge you to grab one.They are somewhat controversial, particularly for a generation of readers who grew up with Victorian and Edwardian translations of the Russian masters.They are very close to the Russian and have an almost breathless immediacy to them.But the ARE different....P>So why all this talk about the Russians?Because Pevear (with an able assist from Herbert Golder) has done for the Greeks what he did for the Russians.... but this translations fiery.I have ALWAYS loved Ajax.I recently read a version of the Iliad to my three young nephews.And they each had their favourite. Achilles, Diomedes and Hector.But they each knew, that in a pinch? when the chips were down? when things get ugly? Who do you want beside you in the phalanx?That's right.That big brute Ajax.Bulwark of the Greeks.A killing machine.Taciturn.Implacable."Even in death", writes Golder in his introduction, "in his sublime Homeric moment, Aias is famous for what Longinus called his 'eloquent silence': the refusal of his shade to speak to Odysseus in Hades."Now you HAVE to love that.

And who doesn't secretly admire him for the incident involving Athena.She took her position alongside him in the Greek line and when he saw her, he blasphemously urged her to move on saying, "Go, stand by the rest of the Greeks.The line won't break where I hold it."Yo!

Sophocles story deals with his death.And it is in his confrontation with his death that his greatness emerges.And he is given one of the greatest speeches of antiquity -- and Pevear's translation is breathtaking:

"Great, unfathomable time
brings dark things into the light
and buries the bright in darkness.
Nothing is too strange, time seizes
the most dread oath, the most hardened
mind. Even I, whose will
was tempered like iron, unbending
in action, for a woman's sake
am become a woman in my speech."

And, later in the same speech,

"For even the most awesome powers
submit to authority: snow-tracked
winter yields to the rich growth
of summer, dark-vaulted night
gives way to the shinning, white-horsed
brightness of day, a blast
of appalling winds stills the seas's rage,
even all-overwhelming sleep
binds only to let go.Then how
shall we not learn wise restraint."

Oh...my...god.

Here's the skinny on this.Trust me.This is a GREAT story.It is a GREAT play.It is a GREAT translation.And it is about a GREAT hero.Golder writes, "...for the values of endurance, tragic solitude, and heroic hubris -- the basis of the permanent values of the democratic city -- Aias is the paradigm."

...

"The Gods blind those they want to destroy"
"Ajax" is a tragedy in which the Gods intervene directly and permanently, altering the course of events. Its main subject is envy. After Achilles dies in the Trojan war, a jury is convened to decide who should receive his weapons and armor as heritage. After deliberating, the jury decides Ulysses is the warrior who deserves the most to be Achilles's heir. Then, Ajax, another brave and distinguished warrior, is totally enraged and mad with fury. As he decides to kill Ulysses and his followers, the goddess Athena "blinds" him and makes him take horses and sheeps for Ulysses and his men. And so he kills all the animals. But when he discovers what he has done, he commits suicide. We can see the other side of envy, magnanimity, when Agammemnon and Menelaus reject Ajax's burial (the standard punishment for traitors), but the noble Ulysses allows it. Throughout the play, you'll feel the bad feeling of envy poisoning the tale. ... Read more

Product Description
This new text of Sophocles is the product of extensive collaboration between Sir Lloyd-Jones and N.G. Wilson, both highly respected scholars in the field.The volume includes the Greek texts and apparatus criticus for Ajax, Electra, Oedipus Tyrannus, Antigone, Trachiniae, Philoctetes, and Oedipus Coloneus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential reading for a classical education
I read Sophocles Antigone for graduate Humanities class.It is an essential reading to understand Greek Tragedy.It is also a foundation stone of literature in studying Western Civilization.

Antigone, daughter of Oedipus in 3-cycle play, faces capital punishment for burying her brother who rebelled against Thebes.Obeying instincts of loyalty of love and the divine law, she defies Creon, the King and her uncle.Creon says laws of states outweigh all other laws, and family loyalty, when he finally relents it's too late.

Over the centuries there has been a great deal made about the conflicts played out in the play, law of state vs. law of goods, personal vs. state duties.Loves knowledge vs. state knowledge.Greek understanding of tragedy- Aristotle lays down understanding of Greek tragedy.He based it on Sophocles.Tragedy- most important thing for tragedy is plot, it is all essential. Tragedy defined as- is imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude in language embellished with incidents arousing pity and fear ant to the audience it accomplishes catharsis of such emotions.Every tragedy must have six parts that determine its quality.1. plot2.character 3.diction 4.fault 5.spectacle and 6.melody.

According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history or poetry; it is one of the highest expressive forms because it dramatizes what may happen.History is a narrative that tells you what has happened tragedy shows what is possible.History deals with particulars, tragedy deals with the universal.Tragedy creates a cause and effect chain and shows how the world operates.It frames human experience in universal discourse, tragedy is central in this effort.Tragedy arouses pity and fear in audience because we can envision ourselves caught in this cause and effect chain.Plot most important feature, the arrangement of incidents, the way incidents, and action is structured.Tragedies outcome depends on the outcome of these cause and effect changes not on being character driven.Plot must be whole, beginning middle and end.Beginning must have a motivation that starts the cause and effect chain of events must be a center or climax that is caused by earlier incidents.There must be an end some kind of closure caused by earlier events in tragedy.This is all part of the complication of the tragedy all must be connected.You can't have a dues ex machnia in a superior tragedy.

In tragedy, the hero or heroine walks knowingly towards the fate that is written and can't be changed.Unity of action plot must be structurally self-contained, each action leading invariably to the next without outside intervention.The worst kinds of plots are episodic, like a Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, can't be something about nothing, must have unity of action.Magnitude, quantatively meaning length, and quality of action, it must be serious.Must be of universal significance, depth, and richness.Character- most important feature is the fatal flaw.Motivations of characters are important but character is there to support the plot.Character must be a prosperous renowned personage.Change of fortune from good to bad will really matter and bring fear and pity to the audience.In ideal tragedy, the hero will mistakenly bring about his own downfall.Because they make a mistake, because knowledge of our selves is always partial, we can't have complete knowledge of ourselves.Hall quotes Descartes in the article, "The limited error prone perspective of the individual.Subject is always imperfect and human and these limitations include our ability to know in any reliable way ourselves."The fact that we as subjects, as agents can never fully know ourselves means that we are always prone to error, error is the essence of the tragic hero, tragedy is the essential drama of human subjectivity.

What is Hegel's understanding of concept of tragedy?He revises Aristotelian principals and logic.Immensely influential German philosopher, he writes about; tragedy in the Aesthete 1820-29, he proposes, "the suffering of the tragic hero are merely the means of reconciling the opposing moral clients."According to Hegel's account of Greek tragedy, the conflict isn't between good and evil, but between competing goods, all is good.Between two entirely ethical worlds that clash and can't come together.Both characters have an ethical vision or belief that they have to follow it is there one-sidedness of their vision that clashes with the one-sidedness of the other character.Both sides of contradiction are justified.Conflict of irreconcilable justifiable ethical worlds, ethical visions.Just as his dialectic must lead to an ultimate synthesis, so to must tragedy lead to a synthesis.This is dramatized in the death of the tragic actor, which becomes the synthesis.Hegel says; "the characters are too good to live."They are too good to live in this world.What is interesting is that Hegel so wants to correct moral imbalances his emphasis is on moral balances.

The better translations are Paul Roche, and RobertFagles.

Greek tragedy is great reading for people interested in aesthetics, history, psychology, and philosophy.
... Read more

Product Description
Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus is the most famous of ancient tragedies and a literary masterpiece. It is not, however, the only classical dramatization of Oedipus' quest to discover his identity. Between four and five hundred years after Sophocles' play was first performed, Seneca composed a fine, but neglected and often disparaged Latin tragedy on the same subject, which, in some ways, comes closer to our common understanding of the Oedipus myth. Now, modern readers can compare the two versions, in new translations by Frederick Ahl. Balancing poetry and clarity, yet staying scrupulously close to the original texts, Ahl's English versions are designed to be both read and performed, and are alert to the literary and historical complexities of each.

In approaching Sophocles anew, Ahl is careful to preserve the richly allusive nature and rhetorical power of the Greek, including the intricate use of language that gives the original its brilliant force. For Ahl, Seneca's tragedy is vastly and intriguingly different from that of Sophocles, and a poetic masterpiece in its own right. Seneca takes us inside the mind of Oedipus in ways that Sophocles does not, making his inner conflicts a major part of the drama itself in his soliloquies and asides.

Two Faces of Oedipus opens with a wide-ranging introduction that examines the conflicting traditions of Oedipus in Greek literature, the different theatrical worlds of Sophocles and Seneca, and how cultural and political differences between Athenian democracy and Roman imperial rule affect the nature and conditions under which the two tragedies were composed. This book brings two dramatic traditions into conversation while providing elegant, accurate, and exciting new versions of Sophocles' and Seneca's tragedies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you appreciate OEDIPUS you MUST read Frederick Ahl
The information in Ahl's introductions to both Sophocles and Seneca's OEDIPUS is essential to anyone reading either work.(I would further recommend Ted Hughes' adaptation of Seneca's OEDIPUS, as well as Diskin Clay's version of Sophocles's OEDIPUS.) The details of Ahl's information, including notes on word origins, are illuminating.The contrasts between the Greek and Roman plays are fascinating and important.Ahls is quite accessible!This book was a revelation to me, and draws attention to questionable aspects of previous interpretations.Even so, I urge readers not to rest content with this as in any way final or ultimately correct.

Patricia Dearing McDonald ... Read more

Product Description
REVIEW OF TUB PLAY.
11
Aeschylus only one actor was employed, and in this play we find Creon (1G2, 766, 1091), and afterwards the messenger (1155, 1244), alone upon the stage in a colloquy with the Chorus. The third actor was introduced first by Sophocles. In the Antigone the three actors are together on the stage only in the second epeis'odion, and even there only two persons at a time (not counting the Chorus) are engaged in the dialogue; the guard remains silent as soon as Antigone begins to speak, and so does Antigone when words pass betweeii Ismene and Creon. The parodos contains anapaestic verses, the regular rhythm in Greek marches, and states the occasion of the entrance of the Chorus. This is the old form. The Chorus announces the entrance of all the principal persons, except in the case of Tiresias. The anapaestic and iambic verses that conclude mclic strophes are likewise in strophic correspondence. Sophocles has avoided only in this play a change of speaker within the li

Table of Contents

THE OLD VITALISM

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Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at http://www.forgottenbooks.org ... Read more

Customer Reviews (68)

Unable to cancel or change once I place order. Not happy
Unable to cancel or change once I place order. Not happy, once I saw the shipping fee was 17.99, renting from the library was a better idea. I cannot find contact info or how to cancel the item.

Timeless classic with great entry-level commentaries.
Very brief, but astonishingly complete, 'Antigone' is truly a world classic. However, because it is such a short play, it would be easy to miss the depth and layers of meaning contained within it. This is what makes the contributing essays included in this volume invaluable, especially to those of us not well-versed already in classic Greek history, mythology and drama.

The supplementary material consists of a 50-plus page general introduction by Walter James Miller, and a more specific 7 page analysis by David Grene of Sophocles' development of a particular idea in his Theban dramas.

Miller's contribution gives us an overall view of the historical, political, and cultural background of Sophocles' life, and how those factors were pertinent to 'Antigone'. Since this book was published in 1970, his view on the relevance of 'Antigone' was influenced by the political and cultural upheavals of the 60's, particularly the rebellion of youth against the establishment. Therefore, he tends to focus on the idea of Antigone's 'civil disobedience' to an unjust dictator, and equates it to the events which were happening around him as he wrote.

While Miller's commentary sometimes seemed so simplistic as to be aimed at high-school sophomores, at least it has the merit of not being overly abstruse. Most importantly, he supplies us with information about the mythological references contained in the play, as well as the legendary and historical background which provides a meaningful basis for the drama. Greek playgoers of the time would have already been as familiar with this background as we are today with our traditions of Thanksgiving or Christmas, so there is a lot of assumed common knowledge contained in the dialog we would miss without these commentaries.

More interesting to me was the shorter analysis by David Grene of Sophocles' Theban plays. Grene expounds the point that while the conflict between Antigone and Creon is the most obvious feature of the play, there are other,more subtle ideas at play here, which give an even deeper, psychological, emphasis to the drama. 'Antigone' must be seen within the context of the development of a theme, the thread of which runs through not only that play, but also 'Oedipus the King', 'Philoctetes', and 'Oedipus at Colonus'.

The theme development alluded to is that of the inseparability of good and evil within the same person, of which Creon was the first, and crudest, example within this group of plays. A man can be consciously innocent, yet objectively guilty. A hero's greatness is fatally alloyed with some disgusting weakness. For me, Grene's remarks added another dimension to what I already considered a great work.

This book, commentaries as well as play, took only a few hours to read, and was well worth the expenditure of time. I felt it was valuable in itself, but also as a stimulus to explore further the work of the classical Greek dramatists.

Essential reading for a classical education
I read Sophocles Antigone for graduate Humanities class.It is an essential reading to understand Greek Tragedy.It is also a foundation stone of literature in studying Western Civilization.

Antigone, daughter of Oedipus in 3-cycle play, faces capital punishment for burying her brother who rebelled against Thebes.Obeying instincts of loyalty of love and the divine law, she defies Creon, the King and her uncle.Creon says laws of states outweigh all other laws, and family loyalty, when he finally relents it's too late.

Over the centuries there has been a great deal made about the conflicts played out in the play, law of state vs. law of goods, personal vs. state duties.Loves knowledge vs. state knowledge.Greek understanding of tragedy- Aristotle lays down understanding of Greek tragedy.He based it on Sophocles.Tragedy- most important thing for tragedy is plot, it is all essential. Tragedy defined as- is imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude in language embellished with incidents arousing pity and fear ant to the audience it accomplishes catharsis of such emotions.Every tragedy must have six parts that determine its quality.1. plot2.character 3.diction 4.fault 5.spectacle and 6.melody.

According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history or poetry; it is one of the highest expressive forms because it dramatizes what may happen.History is a narrative that tells you what has happened tragedy shows what is possible.History deals with particulars, tragedy deals with the universal.Tragedy creates a cause and effect chain and shows how the world operates.It frames human experience in universal discourse, tragedy is central in this effort.Tragedy arouses pity and fear in audience because we can envision ourselves caught in this cause and effect chain.Plot most important feature, the arrangement of incidents, the way incidents, and action is structured.Tragedies outcome depends on the outcome of these cause and effect changes not on being character driven.Plot must be whole, beginning middle and end.Beginning must have a motivation that starts the cause and effect chain of events must be a center or climax that is caused by earlier incidents.There must be an end some kind of closure caused by earlier events in tragedy.This is all part of the complication of the tragedy all must be connected.You can't have a dues ex machnia in a superior tragedy.

In tragedy, the hero or heroine walks knowingly towards the fate that is written and can't be changed.Unity of action plot must be structurally self-contained, each action leading invariably to the next without outside intervention.The worst kinds of plots are episodic, like a Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, can't be something about nothing, must have unity of action.Magnitude, quantatively meaning length, and quality of action, it must be serious.Must be of universal significance, depth, and richness.Character- most important feature is the fatal flaw.Motivations of characters are important but character is there to support the plot.Character must be a prosperous renowned personage.Change of fortune from good to bad will really matter and bring fear and pity to the audience.In ideal tragedy, the hero will mistakenly bring about his own downfall.Because they make a mistake, because knowledge of our selves is always partial, we can't have complete knowledge of ourselves.Hall quotes Descartes in the article, "The limited error prone perspective of the individual.Subject is always imperfect and human and these limitations include our ability to know in any reliable way ourselves."The fact that we as subjects, as agents can never fully know ourselves means that we are always prone to error, error is the essence of the tragic hero, tragedy is the essential drama of human subjectivity.

What is Hegel's understanding of concept of tragedy?He revises Aristotelian principals and logic.Immensely influential German philosopher, he writes about; tragedy in the Aesthete 1820-29, he proposes, "the suffering of the tragic hero are merely the means of reconciling the opposing moral clients."According to Hegel's account of Greek tragedy, the conflict isn't between good and evil, but between competing goods, all is good.Between two entirely ethical worlds that clash and can't come together.Both characters have an ethical vision or belief that they have to follow it is there one-sidedness of their vision that clashes with the one-sidedness of the other character.Both sides of contradiction are justified.Conflict of irreconcilable justifiable ethical worlds, ethical visions.Just as his dialectic must lead to an ultimate synthesis, so to must tragedy lead to a synthesis.This is dramatized in the death of the tragic actor, which becomes the synthesis.Hegel says; "the characters are too good to live."They are too good to live in this world.What is interesting is that Hegel so wants to correct moral imbalances his emphasis is on moral balances.

The better translations are Paul Roche, and RobertFagles.

Greek tragedy is great reading for people interested in aesthetics, history, psychology, and philosophy.

Mixed Up
The condition of the book is good, the pages are like new, but the pages are out of order. The book is split up into chunks that are out of order, first there's part of the Introduction on pages 3-16, then it skips to the end of the story and the notes on what different lines mean(pages 49-80). Then it has the rest of the Introduction and the beginning of the story on pages 17-48 followed by the rest of the notes on the meaning of lines, the Appendix, and the Glossary. The pages of each individual chunk are in order, but the chunks are mixed up, so it isn't difficult to read it in the right order, but it's inconvenient.

Student's English book delevered on time, darn it!
Very prompt delivery to Hawaii.The book was in excellent condition.I think my son would have prefered to have it lost in the mail.Lucky for me.. .too bad for him! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (20)

Oedipus the King:Sobering
Title: Oedipus the King by Sophocles (also known as Oedipus Rex) translated by Bernard M. W. Knox

Pages: 110.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: Probably a year or so.

Days spent reading it: One afternoon while getting the oil in my car changed.

Why I read it: I read this play in high school and was interested in reading it again. I enjoy Greek plays. Especially tragedies.

Brief review:
The story of Oedipus is well known to us today. Oedipus unknowingly kills his own father, marries his own mother, and in the process becomes King of Thebes. What I found interesting in the reading the introduction to this play was that all Greek plays would be fairly well known to the audience. The playwright would be honored for skill in telling the tale and in their poetry. And in the case of Oedipus some of the greatest artistry is in the dramatic irony of Oedipus's words.

What I love about Oedipus the King is the constant struggle of Oedipus to reveal the truth of who his father's murder is (and eventually his own history) and his stubborn refusal to accept the truth when it is told plainly. The first major conversation Oedipus has with Tiresias captures this conflict perfectly. Oedipus asks Tiresias to tell what he knows. Tiresias understands who Oedipus is and what he has done. So Tiresias refuses to tell Oedipus. Oedipus promises it will be alright, just tell the truth. Tiresias tells Oedipus that Oedipus is the killer of the previous King, Laius. Oedipus rejects the truth, and rejects Tiresias. Over and over again, Oedipus wants the truth, but rejects it until all the evidence cannot be ignored any longer.

The other element of Greek tragedies that I have long enjoyed is the idea that in attempting to avoid our destiny we fulfill it. For example, Oedipus left his "home country" to avoid killing his father (who he thought was the king of Corinth, Polybus). So he wanders to Thebes and kills a man at a crossroads. Who is, of course, his own father. Classic.
I enjoyed reading Oedipus the King. It was a short read, but it has some profound moments in it. I look forward to reading some more Sophocles once I get through some other books. Oedipus continues his story in Oedipus at Colonus. And we hear about his daughter in Antigone (which I read in High School). If you enjoy tragedy, this is a must read!

Favorite quote:
"Time, which sees all things, has found you out." -Chorus

Stars: 4 of 5.

Final Word: Sobering.

Confusing Amazon Page!
This book is supposed to be the Heritage Press 1956 semi-luxe binding in slipcase with Greek and English side by side, translated by Storr.

All or most of the reviews are apparently for other editions.

More than a translation
Oedipus the King is one of the classic works of Western literature. It was originally written as a play in around 429 BC by Sophocles (~496-406 BC), a Greek philosopher and playwright. It took the Greek world by storm, and has been handed down to future generations who have also been greatly influenced by it. Most notably in modern times, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) took this work as pointing toward a deep-rooted psychosis, the Oedipus Complex.

Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannus) is the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, which is suffering under a horrific plague. Finding out that the god Apollo has laid the plague on the city until it should punish the murderer of its previous king, Oedipus pronounces a curse on the murderer and sets out to discover who the murderer was. Sadly for Oedipus, there is fate upon fate wrapped up in this mystery, and doom upon doom.

This book, is not merely a translation of Oedipus the King, instead it is an "acting version," created by the Stratford Shakespearian Festival Company of Canada for High School level students. The book begins with an introduction to Sophocles and Greek theatre, and after the play are copious notes, critical excerpts and questions for discussion. The play itself was written so that a young reader, with no background understanding of Greek theatre or culture will understand it.

Overall, I found this to be a great book. I enjoyed the information about the play a lot, and believe that it will be very helpful to any reader. But, foremost, I enjoyed the play itself. The story is powerful, and quite enthralling. I have never seen this play acted out, but do think that this translation would make it excellent. I loved this book, and highly recommend it!

Misleading
Warning to all those who are reading this for a school assignment: you may think that an "enriched classic" is simply the text with commentary also included. Not so, with this book. They shouldn't call it an "enriched classic". They should call it "dumbed down for lazy readers."

Oedipus review
Oedipus was a weird book to reab, because the plot was all twisted. The characters in the book are nasty. Oedipus kills his father and has two kids with his mother..... ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

One of humanity's great treasures
The life of the great poet-playwright Sophocles coincides with the greatness of Athenian democracy, which he served as general, treasurer and priest. The seven-and-a-half plays that survive are all that exist out of a body of work which included 123 tragedies and satyr plays, numerous poems and a book on theater entitled "On The Chorus." What we are left with testifies to a thinker who, like Shakespeare, looked at the world and re-thought and re-conceptualized what he saw. Almost all of the currently existing English language translations of Sophocles leave much to be desired but this edition is the best, complete single-volume one there is. Included is "Oedipus the King," an architectonic exploration of the many gray areas between knowing and not-knowing. Cursed by the sin of the father Laius, King Oedipus investigates the truth behind a crime responsible for the plague that is destroying his city, Thebes. Under the severest personal and social crisis Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, Teiresias and the Chorus of Elders react by repressing, projecting, displacing and denying knowledge, with the Chorus finally scapegoating and condemning Oedipus in the hopes that the gods will destroy him and only him. "Antigone," a play of great truth and beauty, concerns Oedipus' daughter's insistence on burying her brother's corpse, which has been condemned by King Creon to be left for wild animals to tear apart as punishment and warning for others. Throughout the play Antigone gives three conflicting reasons for her defiance: 1. self-conviction ("yes, yes, to me I say! He cannot keep me from what is mine") - to her sister, Ismene, 2. obedience to the gods ("these commands are unlawful to the Gods") - to Creon, and finally 3) a disturbing and confused rejection of these values behind her act ("I would have let my child or husband rot"). Death, Love, and the curse of the House of Oedipus are themes prominently raised by the play which finally come together in this final, controversial speech. Even in the original Greek this passage is difficult to untangle but I think what the passage ultimately hints at is the incestuous and self-destructive nature of the family curse. Antigone is indeed in love with death. As "Antigone" may be even more Creon's play than it is Antigone's, the "Ode on Man" may be the central passage in the play (unfortunately the Grene translations fails to capture the necessary word-symbolism). Order has created civilization but too much order is compared to the catastrophe of pulling too tightly on the reins on a team of horses. Attempting to retain command and authority one ends up denigrating natural and familial values and destroys the polis. The third masterpiece, in my opinion, is "The Women of Trachis," which suffers most of all in translation, I'm afraid. It concerns the contrasting lives of Deianira, the wife of Heracles and mother of Hyllus, and that of Heracles, son of Zeus and father of Hyllus. Line 260 of Mr. Jameson's translation does not allow for the ambiguity of the original in which the herald Lichas informs his audience that Heracles held King Eurytus, alone of mortals - "in part" - responsible for his punishment and enslavement to the barbarian Queen Omphale. This little moment of ambiguity allows us to see Heracles' sacking of Euboea and the great sacrifice afterwards as acts of defiance against not only Eurytus but also against Zeus's "concern" and punishment of his son. "Ajax," "Electra" and "Philoctetes" are also great works. "Oedipus of Colonus" is a haunting conclusion and good-bye by a great artist to his dying city. This volume - even taking into consideration the imperfections of translation - is one which will keep on giving and enriching the reader every single time she or he revisits it.

Fundamental
This is Volume II of a four volume set "The Complete Greek Tragedies" (Volume I is Aeschylus, Volumes III and IV are Euripides).Like the other volumes, _Sophocles_ is a handsomely bound hardcover with stylized Greekish images interspersed throughout and one on the cover (in this case, a golden hoplite).

_Sophocles_ is light on interpretative materials -- no footnotes and only a brief essay introducing each play (a slightly longer essay introduces the Theban plays as a trilogy).However, since the tragedians are much simpler to translate than, say, Aristophanes (who throws in lots of puns and current event references and untranslateable jokes and therefore really requires some explanation), the lack of critical apparatus is not a problem.

Sophocles, of course, is a must-read.In his writings, drama has taken a step away from the choral Aeschylus and a step toward us by adding more actors and diminishing the role of the Chorus, so he is in some sense easier to read than Aeschylus.Sophocles is also more "tragic" than Aeschylus, less upbeat -- Sophocles's heroes are in some sense transformed and earn the respect of the gods by their subborn loyalty to their own natures, but from a human perspective they always destroy themselves.(A great introduction to Sophocles, while I'm at it, is Bernard Knox's book _The Heroic Temper_.)And, of course, you simply have to read the "Theban plays" ("Oedipus at Colonus" and "Antigone", but especially "Oedipus the King", sometimes also called "Oedipus Tyrannos" or "Oedipus Rex").

Sophocles is a beautiful, insightful writer, and an important part of the Western canon.This edition is a lovely and complete collection of his surviving plays.

Greens translation is outstanding
I wrote the review of Aescylus below, which is a mistake.I was reviewinganother part of the complete greek plays by L and G.

Greens translationand editing of Sophocles is as good as Lattimores Aesychlus(which is thebest in the world of classical literature).It is often mistaken thatthese three plays are of the sametrilogy. Actually they are parts ofthree unique trilogies.So don't be disturbed if you find some minorcontradiction in the story lines each triology was ment to be played onlyonce and never seen agains so the author often would be willing to use thesame characters to convey different messages.

Antigone is a play about asense of higher justice than the law.Doing what is right because it isright even if it means death.It is a great look into the greek view ofjustice. Still today this may be on my top ten play list of all time.Ibelieve that this is the first of a trilogy on the King Creon and his downfall.

Oedipus Tyrannos (Oedipus the tyrant) is about hubris or man tryingto rival the gods.Oedipus is also about self discovery and finding outthings about yourself that lies just below the surface.It is also aboutstubborn pride and how it bind you and turns you against those tring tohelp you.As well it is about the tragedy that accompanies self discovery. Don't try to read to much Freud into this. Again one of the best playesever written.

Oedipus at Colonus is about redemption of Oeidpus and thefreedom that he achieves in admitting himself as human.This is a greatplay also.

This entire series is a jewel from the classics department ofU of Chicago.

Please remove the review that misattributes the Antigone
Please remove the review that misattributes the Antigone to Euripides and misspells his name - nothing against the reviewer, but it's best not to continue to display such a misspelling. As for the Chicago translations,they are the most even and readable translations of Greek tragedy, albeitwith lower highs than the Oxford translations and higher lows than the Penntranslations.

Great Play
Antigone is the very best play ever written. It shows how a woman can be just as strong as men and teaches you to follow what's in your heart. ... Read more

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The first drama in the Oedipus Trilogy, "Oedipus Rex", is the tragic tale of Oedipus who has accidentally killed his father and married his mother. One of the most widely read of all Greek tragedies, "Oedipus Rex", stands as one of not only the greatest dramas from classical antiquity but as one of the greatest dramas of all time. Its influence on literature and theatre cannot be overstated and it is as compelling today as when it was first performed. ... Read more

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Much has been written about the heroic figures of Sophocles' powerful dramas. Now Charles Segal focuses our attention not on individual heroes and heroines, but on the world that inspired and motivated their actions--a universe of family, city, nature, and the supernatural. He shows how these ancient masterpieces offer insight into the abiding question of tragedy: how one can make sense of a world that involves so much apparently meaningless violence and suffering.

In a series of engagingly written interconnected essays, Segal studies five of Sophocles' seven extant plays: Ajax, Oedipus Tyrannus, Philoctetes, Antigone, and the often neglected Trachinian Women. He examines the language and structure of the plays from several interpretive perspectives, drawing both on traditional philological analysis and on current literary and cultural theory. He pays particular attention to the mythic and ritual backgrounds of the plays, noting Sophocles' reinterpretation of the ancient myths. His delineation of the heroes and their tragedies encompasses their relations with city and family, conflicts between men and women, defiance of social institutions, and the interaction of society, nature, and the gods. Segal's analysis sheds new light on Sophocles' plays--among the most widely read works of classical literature--and on their implications for Greek views on the gods, moral life, and sexuality.

Customer Reviews (2)

Diverse & Important Collection
This is a traditional "collection of essays" as opposed to an ordered and sustained argument.As such, I find it invaluable.Indeed, there are multiple essays on Oedipus Tyrannus that everyone should read.I was particularly taken by his analysis of the Chorus.His (loosely) psychoanalytic reading of lament in Antigone is also, I think, something every scholar must at least be aware of.And he even tackles Lacan in what I found to be an unusually dense text for Segal.The subject itself is quite abstract, and as far as applying it to classical studies goes, I think Segal makes sense of Lacan without appropriating him.

Segal is uniquely unique
I am a scholar of Ancient Greek Tragedy and as such an expert I can say that Charles Segal has the most unique opinon of Oedipus in particular, although his book covers various Sophoclean heroes, that I have come across in recent years. This text is fresh, and suprisingly clear and easy to understand. He leaves no rock unturned, no theory unaddressed. If you are looking on a guide to Oedipus, Antigone, Ajax, or Trachinian Women, you have come to the right place. Buy this book, it's good. ... Read more

Product Description
Sophocles or Sofokles (c496BC-c406BC) was the second of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived to the present day. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than those of Euripides. According to the Suda, a 10th century encyclopedia, Sophocles wrote 120 or more plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form, namely Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most-awarded playwright in the dramatic competitions of ancient Athens that took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. Sophocles competed in around thirty drama competitions; he won perhaps twenty four and never received lower than second place. Aeschylus won fourteen competitions and was defeated by Sophocles at times. The most famous of Sophocles's tragedies are those concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as the Theban Plays or The Oedipus Cycle, although each play was actually a part of a different trilogy, the other members of which are now lost. The Theban plays consist of three plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King (also called Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex), and Oedipus at Colonus. All three plays concern the fate of Thebes during and after the reign of King Oedipus. Sophocles wrote the three plays for separate festival competitions, many years apart. Not only are the Theban plays not a true trilogy (three plays presented as a continuous narrative) but they are not even an intentional series and contain some inconsistencies between them. He also wrote other plays having to do with Thebes, such as The Progeny, of which only fragments have survived. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Theban Plays
Really liked this selection of plays that I had to read for a political theory class. Lots of really cool ideas are represented like the all consuming ability of power and it's ability to destroy the people who possess it. There's also references to the divine and prophesy that suggest that both an over-reliance on the divine and a sheer ignorance of the divine are recipes for untold disaster and misery. Concerning the study of politics, it suggests that man is subject to entities outside of his control and therefore is often quite fallible through advisors and his own overreaching pride to be greater than great and these failings prove to be a great undoing. Power proves a very intoxicating drug that corrupts even the greatest of men. As an added bonus to these great moral and political lessons, their actually a pretty entertaining and moving read as Antigone seeks to give her brother a proper burial because she sees him as a hero, while the King views him a traitor. The sixty or so pages of Antigone take us through a sorted ride as every character is dealt with some tragic loss. God, how I wish Hollywood screenwriters could devise something this cool.

Incredibly Modern and Performable!
After comparing numerous Theban Plays (Fagles, Lattimore, Roche, Fitzgerald and others) I came across the one on Hackett.

I find it the most readable, comtemporary, up-to-date, powerful, poetic and most importantly...believable.It reads so realistically that I actually believe what the characters say...which makes me want to perform and see performed this edition by Meineck and Woodruff.

The print and spacing is perfect, and not to mention the price! ... Read more

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NEOPTOLEMUS: And yet I wonder not; for if aright I judge, from angry heaven the sentence came, And Chrysa was the cruel source of all; Nor doth this sad disease inflict him still Incurable, without assenting gods? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Sophocles on the citizen's responsibility to the state
"Philoctetes" takes place near the climax of the Trojan War.The title character has the great bow of Hercules, given by the demi-god on his pyre to Philoctetes's father.A member of the Achaean expedition that sailed to Troy, Philoctetes was making an altar on an island along the way when he was bitten by a snake.His cries of pain were so great that he was abandoned by his shipments, under the orders of Odysseus, and marooned on the deserted island of Lemnos.Alone and crippled, Philoctetes used the great bow to survive for the ten years the Achaeans have been fighting against Troy.During that time his hatred against the Achaeans in general, and Odysseus in particular, has grown.

Meanwhile, back at Troy, Odysseus and the other Achaean chieftains have learned from an oracle that Troy will fall only with the help of Philoctetes and his bow (a juicy tidbit it certainly would have been nice to have known eight or nine years earlier).Odysseus and Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, are sent to bring Philoctetes and his bow back to the war.Of course, Odysseus dare not show himself to Philoctetes and sends Neoptolemus to do the dirty work.Neoptolemus gains the confidences of the crippled man by lying about taking him home.During one of his agonizing spasms of pain, Philoctetes gives his bow to Neoptolemus.Regretting having lied to this helpless cripple, Philoctetes returns the bow and admits all, begging him to come to Troy of his own free will.Philoctetes refuses and when Odysseus shows his face and threatens to use force to achieve their goal, he finds himself facing a very angry archer.

In "Philoctetes" Sophocles clearly deals with the balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of society.But this is also a play about citizenship and the need for the idealism of youth to be give way to the responsibilities of adulthood.In fact, this lesson is learned both by Philoctetes, who is taught by the shade of Hercules who appears to resolve the tenses conclusion, and Neoptolemus, who finds his duties at odds with his idealized conception of heroism based upon his father.Although this is a lesser known myth and play, "Philoctetes" does raise some issues worth considering in the classroom by contemporary students.

"Philoctetes" is similar to other plays by Sophocles, which deal with the conflict between the individual and society, although this is a rare instance where Odysseus appears in good light in one of his plays; usually he is presented as a corrupter of innocence (remember, the Greeks considered the hero of Homer's epic poem to be more of a pirate than a true hero), but here he is but a spokesperson for the interests of the state.Final Note: We know of lost plays about "Philoctetes" written by both Aeschylus and Euripides.Certainly it would have been interesting to have these to compare and contrast with this play by Sophocles, just as we have with the "Electra" tragedies.

A play of intrigue.
A group of plays, of which this was a member, won first prize in Athens. Philoctetes had been left marooned on an island several years earlier (because of his disease) under orders of Agamemnon and Menelaus. But, thetwo kings later discover that Troy cannot be conquered without Philoctetesand his bow, a bow given to him by Heracles. Odysseus and Neoptolemus (theson of the late Achilles) arrive at the island to persuade or trickPhiloctetes to return with them. Neoptolemus wants to be noble in hisactions; yet, his commander, Odysseus, wants to use guile. At the end, adeus-ex-machina device is used to resolve the conflict. The play hasexcellent characterization, a good plot, and steady movement.

Pretty good book, overall.
Good Greek tragedy.I especially find interesting the controversy behind the happy ending. ... Read more

Product Description
A new and provocative work by outstanding scholar Ruby Blondell.The three plays of Sophocle's Oidipous Cycle in one volume: Antigone, King Oidipus and Oidipous at Colonus.Translated, updated and annotated by Ruby Blondell, whose new translations are aimed at all those, especially students and teachers, who wish to work with an English version that closely follows the Greek original.The trilogy includes an introductory essay on Sophocles' life, ancient theatre, and the mythic and religious background of the plays. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well done!
As described the book was in perfect order, no cover wear, no page wear, marks or rips. Thanks!

The Theban Plays of Sophocles in chronological rather than narrative order
"The Theban Plays" from the Focus Classical Library collects three of Sophocles's greatest tragedies, which are arranged here in the chronological order they were written rather than the narrative order that would have "Antigone" last."Antigone" was actually written first by Sophocles. Following the death of Oidipous, his sons, Eteocles and Polyneices engaged in a civil war for the throne of Thebes (covered in "Seven Against Thebes" by Aeschylus). The two brothers kill each other and Creon, brother of Jocasta, becomes king. He orders that Eteocles, who nobly defended his city, shall receive an honorable burial, but that Polyneices, for leading the Argive invaders, shall be left unburied. This leads Antigone, sister to both of the slain brothers, to have to choose between obeying the rule of the state, the dictates of familial binds, and the will of the gods. This, of course, is the matter at the heart of this classic tragedy.

It is too easy to see the issues of this play, first performed in the 5th century B.C., as being reflected in a host of more contemporary concerns, where the conscience of the individual conflicts with the dictates of the state. However, it seems to me that the conflict in "Antigone" is not so clear-cut as we would suppose. After all, Creon has the right to punish a traitor and to expect loyal citizens to obey. Ismene, Antigone's sister, chooses to obey, but Antigone takes a different path. The fact that the "burial" of her brother consists of the token gesture of throwing dirt upon his face, only serves to underscore the ambiguity of the situation Sophocles is developing. Even though the playwright strips Creon of his son, Haemon and wife, Eurydice by the end of the drama, it is not a fatal verdict rendered against the king's judgment, but rather the playing out of the tragedy that began with the birth of Oidipous to its grim conclusion.

"King Oidipous" is not only the most read of all the Greek tragedies, it is also has the clear distinction of being the most misread as well.The play's exalted reputation exists in part because it was presented as the paragon of the dramatic form by Aristotle in his "Poetics," and it may well be because of that fact that "King Oidipous s" was one of the relatively few plays by Sophocles to be passed down from ancient times. When I have taught Greek tragedies in various classes students have reconsidered the play in terms of key concepts such as harmartia ("tragic error of judgment"), angonrisis ("recognition"), peripeteia ("reversal"), catharsis, etc., and they usually agree this play provides the proverbial textbook examples of these terms.

However, I was always bothered by the fact that Sophocles engages in some rather heavy-handed foreshadowing regarding the fact that the play's tragic hero is going to blind himself before the conclusion. The lines were closer to, dare I say, sophomoric humor than eloquently setting up the climax. But then I read something very, very interesting in Homer's "Iliad," where there appears a single reference to Oidipous which suggests that he died in battle. Remember now that Homer's epics were written several hundred years before Sophocles was born and that the Greek playwrights were allowed to take great liberties with the various myths (consider the three different versions of the death of Clytemnestra at the hands of Orestes we have from Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus). The Athenian audience would know its Homer, but "King Oidipous " was a new play.

This leads me to advance a very interesting possibility: the Greek audience did not know that Oidipous was going to blind himself. This was a new idea. Iocasta (Jocasta) appears in the "Odyssey" when Odysseus visits Hades, but the only mention of the sin involved is in her marriage to her son, nothing about his being blind. Obviously you will have to make your own judgment about my hypotheses, but I have to think it is at least worth consideration. Still, there is the fact that because even those who do not know the play know the story about the man who killed his father and married his mother, "King Oidipous" is usually misread by students. Because they know the curse they miss something very important: the curse that the oracle at Delphi tells Oidipous is not the same curse that was told to his parents.

In "Oidipous at Colonus" Sophocles tells of the final fate of the exiled figure. Colonus is a village outside Athens, where the blind, old man has become a benevolent source of defense to the land that has given him his final refuge. The tragedy was produced posthumously in 401 B.C.E., and the legend is that it was used by Sophocles as his defense against the charge of senility brought by his children. In terms of its lack of dramatic structure (the scenes are connected by the character of Oidipous rather than by the loosely constructed plot) and the melancholy of its lyric odes it is the most atypical of the extant plays of Sophocles. But it is the characterization of Oidipous as a noble figure that stands out. This is still the same proud and hot-tempered figure who vowed to solve the reason for the curse on Thebes in the earlier play. But this is also an Oidipous who has accepted his punishment, even though he insists that he is innocent.

The fact that this was the last play written by Sophocles offers a line of analysis for understanding "Oidipous at Colonus" as well. You can read in certain lyrics, such as the first "staismon" with its ode to Colonus and the characterization of King Theseus of Athens, the playwright's praise for the democratic institutions and proud history of Athens. On a more psychological level you can consider the play as articulating Sophocles' views on death. Still here is the compelling argument of the play that through his personal suffering Oidipous has been purified. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can best re-create the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. The tragedies collected here were originally available as single volumes. This new collection retains the informative introductions and explanatory notes of the original editions, with Greek line numbers and a single combined glossary added for easy reference.

This volume collects for the first time three of Sophocles most moving tragedies, all set in mythical Thebes: Oedipus the King, perhaps the most powerful of all Greek tragedies; Oedipus at Colonus, a story that reveals the reversals and paradoxes that define moral life; and Antigone, a touchstone of thinking about human conflict and human tragedy, the role of the divine in human life, and the degree to which men and women are the creators of their own destiny. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Best Version Yet
This is certain to become the new standard translation of Sophocles' Theban Plays.Slavitt brings with him decades of writing and translation experience to make an excellent new version of these classics.He uses mostly blank verse, which has the stately quality one expects from the Oedipus plays.Slavitt has struck a difficult balance between remaining faithful to the original and translating it for a contemporary audience. ... Read more

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Sophocles (497/6–406 BCE), the second of the three great tragedians of Athens and by common consent one of the world's greatest poets, wrote more than 120 plays. Only seven of these survive complete, but we have a wealth of fragments, from which much can be learned about Sophocles' language and dramatic art. This volume presents a collection of all the major fragments, ranging in length from two lines to a very substantial portion of the satyr play The Searchers. Prefatory notes provide frameworks for the fragments of known plays.

Many of the Sophoclean fragments were preserved by quotation in other authors; others, some of considerable size, are known to us from papyri discovered during the past century. Among the lost plays of which we have large fragments, The Searchers shows the god Hermes, soon after his birth, playing an amusing trick on his brother Apollo; Inachus portrays Zeus coming to Argos to seduce Io, the daughter of its king; and Niobe tells how Apollo and his sister Artemis punish Niobe for a slight upon their mother by killing her twelve children. Throughout the volume, as in the extant plays, we see Sophocles drawing his subjects from heroic legend.

Customer Reviews (2)

The Unknown Sophocles...
How rare and wonderful it is to come across a collection of fragments by a great ancient Master!

This Loeb edition (from 2003) is essential for anyone who wishes to increase their understanding and love of ancient drama.

Presented and translated by the famous classical poet/scholar Hugh Lloyd-Jones, the edition uses up-to-date research and information on Sophocles.It is the only source to go to when it comes to all the unknown material Sophocles produced!

The Table of Contents is as follows:

- Preface
- Introduction
- FRAGMENTS OF KNOWN PLAYS (123 in Total)
- Fragments Not Assignable to Any Play
- Doubtful Fragment: Oeneus
- Index

The volume was first published in 1996, and then reprinted with corrections and additions in 2003.

I urge everyone to pick up this wonderfully translated volume along with the other Loeb fragment volumes of Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes!

Enjoy.

The collected fragments of the lost plays of Sophocles
Only seven of the tragedies of Sophocles survive intact out of a list of 90 plays for which we have titles.All seven of the plays are from the later part of his career, which means that if we had as little of Shakespeare as we had of Sophocles all we would know of the Bard's work would be "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear," and "The Winter's Tale."That would still be enough to impress us today, but all we would have of the rest of his work would be titles like "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Julius Caesar" to go with fragments from plays like "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Romeo and Juliet," and "The Tempest."But if you have read "Bartlett's Quotations" rather than "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" then you already know that "fragments" of Shakespeare can still be pretty impressive.It is in anticipation of finding similar gems that we approach this volume of the Loeb Classical Library containing "Fragments" of the work of Sophocles.

Edited and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, "Sophocles: Fragments" is a collection of all of the "major fragments," which range in length from two lines to a substantial part of "The Searchers," a satyr play in which Hermes plays a joke on Apollo.There are also substantial pieces of "Inachas," in which Zeus comes to Argos to seduce the king's daughter Io, and "Niobe," which is the story of Apollo and Artemis slaying the daughters of Niobe for daring to insult their mother.Lloyd-Jones provides what we know about these lost plays to give readers a sense of the possible context for these lines (including other ancient plays and works that touch on the same characters and stories).Most of these fragments come from other ancient authors who were quoting these plays of Sophocles before they were lost, while others have been discovered on papyri in the past century.Most of these fragments are assigned to known plays (10-343), followed by those fragments that have not been assigned to any specific play (344-417), and a doubtful fragment that may or may not be from "Oeneus" (418-22).

Lloyd-Jones also did the translations for the first two Sophocles volumes in the Loeb Classical Library and as is the case with this entire library you have the original Greek text on the left-page and the translation on the right.Certainly it is frustrating to read bits and pieces, trying to connect the dots and imagine what these plays would have been like, and if I had the talent and the time I would love to be able to try and reconstruct some of these tragedies.Once you see how Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides deal with the same story, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes because of the happenstance that all three of their plays on that subject have been preserved, it is difficult not to wonder what Sophocles would have done with the story of Prometheus or Iphigenia.Obviously this last Sophocles volume is going to be of interest to only the hard core scholar of Greek tragedy, but given how little there is of the tragic playwrights in the first place, these fragments can be quite interesting. ... Read more

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Sophocles (497/6–406 BCE), with Aeschylus and Euripides, was one of the three great tragic poets of Athens, and is considered one of the world's greatest poets. The subjects of his plays were drawn from mythology and legend. Each play contains at least one heroic figure, a character whose strength, courage, or intelligence exceeds the human norm—but who also has more than ordinary pride and self-assurance. These qualities combine to lead to a tragic end.

Hugh Lloyd-Jones gives us, in two volumes, a new translation of the seven surviving plays. Volume I contains Oedipus Tyrannus (which tells the famous Oedipus story), Ajax (a heroic tragedy of wounded self-esteem), and Electra (the story of siblings who seek revenge on their mother and her lover for killing their father). Volume II contains Oedipus at Colonus (the climax of the fallen hero's life), Antigone (a conflict between public authority and an individual woman's conscience), The Women of Trachis (a fatal attempt by Heracles' wife to regain her husband's love), and Philoctetes (Odysseus's intrigue to bring an unwilling hero to the Trojan War).

Of his other plays, only fragments remain; but from these much can be learned about Sophocles' language and dramatic art. The major fragments—ranging in length from two lines to a very substantial portion of the satyr play The Searchers—are collected in Volume III of this edition. In prefatory notes Lloyd-Jones provides frameworks for the fragments of known plays.

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent edition
Very good translation and excellent hardbound edition of some of the best plays ever written.

Excellent
Sophocles is the master of Greek drama and a master at contstructing a plot. Antigone is excellent and turns into an amazing story that leaves you rethinking just who the "tragic hero" of the play is. Oedipus at Colonus is perhaps the saddest play of the so called "Oedipus Cycle". Yet, ina way, it has a very redeeming end. This is a great edition because, of course like all the Loeb series, it also has the Greek. ... Read more

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Sophocles’ Electra deals with the famous story of Orestes’ vengeance on his mother Clytemnestra for her murder of his father Agamemnon. This book discusses whether the matricide is a just and final act of violence, or whether Sophocles ironically implies that it is more problematic than it seems. Electra is notable among Sophocles’ plays for the prominent part played by female characters, especially the heroic resistance and suffering of Orestes’ sister Electra. Michael Lloyd pays particular attention to the portrayal of Electra herself, but also discusses wider issues of dramatic characterisation and Greek ethics. ... Read more

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The Cure at Troy is Seamus Heaney's version of Sophocles' Philoctetes. Written in the fifth century BC, this play concerns the predicament of the outcast hero, Philoctetes, whom the Greeks marooned on the island of Lemnos and forgot about until the closing stages of the Siege of Troy. Abandoned because of a wounded foot, Philoctetes nevertheless possesses an invincible bow without which the Greeks cannot win the Trojan War. They are forced to return to Lemnos and seek out Philoctetes' support in a drama that explores the conflict between personal integrity and political expediency.

Heaney's version of Philoctetes is a fast-paced, brilliant work ideally suited to the stage. Heaney holds on to the majesty of the Greek original, but manages to give his verse the flavor of Irish speech and context.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Don't forget the Irish politics
Other reviewers have noted that Heaney's translation, like any literary translation, serves a different purpose for its audience than the original work did for its audience.I just wanted to add that this translation is not _just_ a modernization of Sophocles' work.As an Irish unionist, Heaney subtly refigures the drama as a political treatise on modern Ireland, which was prominently expressed when former Irish President Mary Robinson cited The Cure at Troy in her inaugural speech in 1994.Leave it to a master like Heaney to produce a layered work with several valid levels of interpretation.

Seamus!
"The Cure at Troy," translated by Seamus Heaney offers a delightful translation of Sophocles' "Philoctetes." With a compelling tale from anchient times layed out before him, Heaney applies colloquial speach diction to the play. This accessability offers the audience a window into the basic moral struggle occuring at the heart of the work. A finly crafted story draws the reader to the characters. A worthwhile read.

The Cure At Troy
Seamus Heaney pulls through again with his brilliant translation of Sophocles' Philoctetes.The tragic story of the forgotten hero, Philoctetes, provides a unique insight into the conflicts between personal moral beliefs and political calling.Odysseus persuades the heroic Neoptolemus into tricking the mamed Philoctetes into giving up the bow of Hercules.This act challenges the admired traits of the ancient world and draws into question the importance of personal beliefs.As each character represents a different aspect of the Greek world, a fight for beliefs - fidelity, pity, piety - endures.As for the translation itself, Heaney provides a beautiful interpretation of the story as seen in the words of the chorus:

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

This enriched translation strays slightly from the ancient text in order to enhance the understanding of the modern reader. Overall, this fast-moving play entices and enchants through a lyrical harmony like no other.Bravo, Seamus. Bravo.

The Cure at Troy yields a measured dose
Seamus Heaney's version of trials for the Greek archer entrusted with Hercules' infallible bow and arrows gives us affirmation and points of reflection.Heaney does not dash the ancient dialogue style on the rockyisland; rather it is enriched for the modern reader.Honoring thetimelessness of Sophocles, Heaney allows today's reader to make comparisonsof private nature and choices with the public need and will.The hero,Achilles' son, Neoptolemus, finds that the strategy to take Troy for theGreeks runs counter to his nature of honesty and integrity.We wrestlewith him over the choices.We tumble with him when he loses his grip. Wecrawl back to sure footing along side the hero.I found myselfunderstanding the characters based on different experiences in my life. Philoctetes bemoans his ill-fated injury which leaves him abandoned andfull of vengeance.Human empathy allows him to examine his tight grip onhis woundedness without denying what he has endured.Odysseus, thepragmatic lieutenant of war, is shown for his utility and foibles.As inall Greek plays, the chorus calls the characters and the reader toreflection, "...For my part is the chorus, and the chorus is more orless a borderline between the you and the me and the it of it." Heaney got the "it of it" for us to take our own measure. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

oedipus rex
I received my purchase in the time that it was promised to me and it was in the condition the seller said it was. I am very happy with my purchase. ... Read more