Publisher Description
Aristotle's assertion that in Greek tragedy, there is no loftier work than Oedipus the King cannot be lightly contradicted. This drama is endued fearfully with nature, as she works against the conscientiousness of measure found in man. Heretofore no translation of this play has been a poem of Sophoclean worthiness and work. The rhythmic stature of this translation runs with the Greek in heat and light. It is always gratifying, it elevates the human spirit to see one our fellows...set his aim unbelievably high and incredibly hit the mark! (David Madgalene, bilingual author of I Hear A Journeyman Singing and many other books of verse.)
Download and start listening now!
About Sophocles
Sophocles (496
BC–406 BC), one of the great Greek dramatists of the ancient world, was born to
a wealthy family at Colonus, near Athens. He had a charmed childhood, was
highly educated and a personal friend of prominent statesmen, and, as a good
Athenian, served faithfully as a treasurer and general for Athens when it was
expanding its empire and influence. Though he wrote approximately 123 plays,
only seven tragedies survive in their entirety: Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra,
Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus.
With Sophocles, Greek tragedy reached its most characteristic form; he
frequently beat out rivals Aeschylus and Euripides in annual drama
competitions.