Three Theban Plays Antigone Oedipus the King Oedipus at Colonus

Towering over the rest of Greek tragedy Sophocles' The Three Theban Plays are among the most enduring and timeless dramas ever written. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Robert Fagles with introductions and notes by Bernard Knox. Collected here are Antigone Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus in a translation by Robert Fagles which retains all of Sophocles' lucidity and power the cut and thrust of his dialogue his ironic edge the surge and majesty of his choruses and above all the agonies and triumphs of his characters. Oedipus in exile searching for his identity desperately trying to avoid his fate seeking the truth of his origins and achieving immortality his daughter Antigone defending her integrity and ideals to the death - these heroic tragic figures have captivated theatregoers and readers since the fifth century BC. It is Sophocles' characterisation of Oedipus that would in the nineteenth century inspire Sigmund Freud to a revolutionary conception of the human mind and the tragedies in this volume continue to move and inspire us to this day. Sophocles (496-405 BC) was born at Colonus just outside Athens. His long life spanned the rise and decline of the Athenian Empire he was a friend of Pericles and though not an active politician he held several public offices both military and civil. The leader of a literary circle and friend of Herodotus Sophocles wrote over a hundred plays drawing on a wide and varied range of themes and winning the City Dionysia eighteen times though only seven of his tragedies have survived among them Antigone Oedipus Rex Ajax and Oedipus at Colonus. <b>The heroic Greek dramas that have moved theatergoers and readers since the fifth century B.C.</b><br><br>Towering over the rest of Greek tragedy, the three plays that tell the story of the fated Theban royal family—<i>Antigone, Oedipus the King </i>and<i> Oedipus at Colonus—</i>are among the most enduring and timeless dramas ever written. Robert Fagles's authoritative and acclaimed translation conveys all of Sophocles's lucidity and power: the cut and thrust of his dialogue, his ironic edge, the surge and majesty of his choruses and, above all, the agonies and triumphs of his characters. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction and notes by the renowned classicist Bernard Knox.<br><br>For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.