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thaurisil's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Penguin Classics edition translated by Fagles. It is excellent. Fagles' translation is extremely readable, and reading it is a breezy process. He captures emotions well and the dialogue is masterful and natural, so that you can readily picture how this would be acted out on stage, how each character would be standing or moving, and how the characters would be interacting with each other. You can see the characters furiously shouting or tenderly embracing each other. It's a very impressive translation.
The plays are presented not in their natural chronological order, with Oedipus the King first and Antigone last, but rather in the order that they appeared in Sophocles' lifetime, with Antigone first and Oedipus at Colonus last. I initially thought this would make the reading haphazard, but I was wrong. Your understanding of the plots of each story isn't affected because you're supposed to know the Theban stories beforehand, like the Greek audience did (and if you don't, there's a summary in the preface on pages 27-29). Listed in this manner, you can see how Sophocles' style changed over the years, and appreciate how the plays related to real-world events.
It's interesting that of the 123 plays Sophocles is credited with, only 7 survived, and 3 of them form the Theban cycle. What are the odds? It's as if the destiny that features so heavily in his plays chose which plays of his would survive. I assume Aeschylus and Euripides may also have written Theban plays, but while their plays describing the battle between Eteocles and Polynices survive, I don't think they have plays describing the rest of the Theban saga.
Having read a handful of Aeschylus' and Euripides' plays before this, I felt this collection of Sophocles' plays are more similar to Euripides'. Both of their plays have a stronger plotline, and unlike Aeschylus' plays, their plays are not centred on the song-and-dance of the choruses.
Here's a synopsis and some thoughts on each play.
Antigone
Etocles and Polynices have died fighting each other, and Creon has declared that Polynices' corpse is to be left unburied. Antigone defiantly buries Polynices body, though her sister Ismene refuses to, afraid of Creon's death penalty. Creon condemns Antigone to living in a tomb. The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that his son will die for this, but Creon calls him a fool. The chorus pleads with Creon to change his mind. Creon eventually repents, but it's too late. Antigone hangs herself in the tomb, Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's lover, kills himself, and Eurydice, Creon's wife, curses Creon and then kills herself.
The conflict between Antigone and Creon is the conflict between a passionate, loving woman, and a stubborn tyrant. Antigone evokes religion, whereas Creon calls for the nation's honour to be upheld before family ties. In the introduction, we find out that the play was performed twice during WWII as an allegorical play, as Creon resembles Nazi Germany, and Antigone resembles resistance forces. The tragedy is that though Creon relents, it comes too late, and all around him have died as a result of his tyranny by the end of the play. The closing lines by the chorus sum up the play well:
Oedipus the King
There's a plague in Thebes, and the oracle at Delphi tells Creon that the plague will only end when the former king Laius' murderer is caught. The current king Oedipus resolves to find Laius' murderer. Oedipus himself was from Corinth, but became king when he solved a sphinx's riddle, freed Thebes from the Sphinx's curse, and married Queen Jocasta, Laius' widow. He summons Tiresias who refuses to tell Oedipus the truth, but provoked by an angry Oedipus, Tiresias accuses Oedipus of killing Laius. Oedipus thinks that Creon and Tiresias are conspiring against him, but the chorus and Jocasta calm him down. Jocasta tells him to ignore the prophecy as prophecies don't come true. As evidence of this, she relates a prophecy that said Laius would be killed by his own son, when Laius was killed by bandits on a crossroads. At the mention of the crossroads, Oedipus realised he may have killed Laius. A messenger arrives announcing the death of King Polybus, Oedipus' father in Corinth, and Oedipus is happy as it means the oracle's prophecy that he would kill his father and marry hsi mother is false. But the messenger reveals that Oedipus was actually adopted by Polybus, given to him by a shepherd from Thebes. The shepherd is summoned and the truth is revealed. Laius is Oedipus' father whom he killed, and Jocasta is Oedipus' mother whom he married. In despair, Oedipus stabs his eyes, then asks Creon to drive him into exile, while clutching his beloved daughters Antigone and Ismene.
This is the best of the plays, for one reason — dramatic irony. The Greek audience knew Oedipus's story before the play, and so Oedipus' actions are words are not merely those of a righteous, energetic king. Instead, almost every word he says is imbued with a second, tragic meaning, known only to the audience. To add to the irony, Oedipus' downfall is brought about by his own dynamism and demands for the truth. Like Tiresias, the messengers, the chorus and eventually even Jocasta, we want him to stop pursuing the truth, but he defiantly does so so that he can save Thebes, and in the process finds out the miserable truth of his life and destroys himself. As the truth becomes increasingly evident to everybody including the audience, it is surprising that the man who solved the sphinx's riddle cannot solve the riddle of his birth even with all the clues staring him in the face. Perhaps that's because it's a fate too horrible to comprehend until the evidence is undeniable.
Both Antigone and Oedipus the King show how the fates of great men are reversed. In Antigone, Creon, a tyrant, is humbled through his disrespect for the gods. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus, a good king, is destroyed by fate and prophecies. Even the most powerful man is weak when faced with greater forces.
Oedipus at Colonus
Exiled from Thebes, Oedipus, wandering with Antigone, arrives at Colonus, at a place sacred to the Eumenides (the Furies). Oedipus relates a prophecy that he would die at a place sacred to the Furies and that the place where he is buried would be blessed. He convinces a chorus of old men of Colonus to show him mercy, and they call Theseus, king of Athens, who treats Oedipus with kindness. Ismene arrives, informing Oedipus that Polynices has summoned the army of Argos to help him seize the throne of Thebes from Eteocles, his younger brother. The oracle at Delphi has told the people of the prophecy. Creon comes to try to bring Oedipus back to Thebes. Oedipus refuses, and Creon kidnaps Ismene and Antigone, but Theseus helps Oedipus rescue them. Polynices then comes seeking Oedipus' forgiveness, but Oedipus curses his sons instead. A thunderstorm starts. Knowing this is a sign of his death, Oedipus leads Theseus to a place where he dies, granting Athens blessings.
Oedipus at Colonus was performed after Sophocles' death, at a time when Athens have been defeated by the Spartans and was no longer the powerful city it had once been. This play would have given the Athenian audience some comfort. Theseus and the old men of Colonus (a suburb of Athens) show Oedipus kindness without knowing the details of the prophecy, and thereby bring blessings onto themselves. Oedipus, though old and blind, shows that though physically frail, he is the same Oedipus as in Oedipus the King, capable of spirited anger and forceful speech.
Interestingly, Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles all have plays that involve the battle between Eteocles and Polynices, and all show it from a different perspective. Sophocles' is the only one that only shows the events leading up to the battle, and does not show what happens at the battle at all. It is also the only one that treats it from Oedipus' perspective. And while Eteocles is younger than Polynices here, they are twins in Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, and Eteocles is older in Euripides' The Phoenician Women.
The plays are presented not in their natural chronological order, with Oedipus the King first and Antigone last, but rather in the order that they appeared in Sophocles' lifetime, with Antigone first and Oedipus at Colonus last. I initially thought this would make the reading haphazard, but I was wrong. Your understanding of the plots of each story isn't affected because you're supposed to know the Theban stories beforehand, like the Greek audience did (and if you don't, there's a summary in the preface on pages 27-29). Listed in this manner, you can see how Sophocles' style changed over the years, and appreciate how the plays related to real-world events.
It's interesting that of the 123 plays Sophocles is credited with, only 7 survived, and 3 of them form the Theban cycle. What are the odds? It's as if the destiny that features so heavily in his plays chose which plays of his would survive. I assume Aeschylus and Euripides may also have written Theban plays, but while their plays describing the battle between Eteocles and Polynices survive, I don't think they have plays describing the rest of the Theban saga.
Having read a handful of Aeschylus' and Euripides' plays before this, I felt this collection of Sophocles' plays are more similar to Euripides'. Both of their plays have a stronger plotline, and unlike Aeschylus' plays, their plays are not centred on the song-and-dance of the choruses.
Here's a synopsis and some thoughts on each play.
Antigone
Etocles and Polynices have died fighting each other, and Creon has declared that Polynices' corpse is to be left unburied. Antigone defiantly buries Polynices body, though her sister Ismene refuses to, afraid of Creon's death penalty. Creon condemns Antigone to living in a tomb. The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that his son will die for this, but Creon calls him a fool. The chorus pleads with Creon to change his mind. Creon eventually repents, but it's too late. Antigone hangs herself in the tomb, Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's lover, kills himself, and Eurydice, Creon's wife, curses Creon and then kills herself.
The conflict between Antigone and Creon is the conflict between a passionate, loving woman, and a stubborn tyrant. Antigone evokes religion, whereas Creon calls for the nation's honour to be upheld before family ties. In the introduction, we find out that the play was performed twice during WWII as an allegorical play, as Creon resembles Nazi Germany, and Antigone resembles resistance forces. The tragedy is that though Creon relents, it comes too late, and all around him have died as a result of his tyranny by the end of the play. The closing lines by the chorus sum up the play well:
Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy,
and reverence towards the gods must be safeguarded.
The mighty words of the proud are paid in full
with mighty blows of fate, and at long last
those blows will teach us wisdom.
Oedipus the King
There's a plague in Thebes, and the oracle at Delphi tells Creon that the plague will only end when the former king Laius' murderer is caught. The current king Oedipus resolves to find Laius' murderer. Oedipus himself was from Corinth, but became king when he solved a sphinx's riddle, freed Thebes from the Sphinx's curse, and married Queen Jocasta, Laius' widow. He summons Tiresias who refuses to tell Oedipus the truth, but provoked by an angry Oedipus, Tiresias accuses Oedipus of killing Laius. Oedipus thinks that Creon and Tiresias are conspiring against him, but the chorus and Jocasta calm him down. Jocasta tells him to ignore the prophecy as prophecies don't come true. As evidence of this, she relates a prophecy that said Laius would be killed by his own son, when Laius was killed by bandits on a crossroads. At the mention of the crossroads, Oedipus realised he may have killed Laius. A messenger arrives announcing the death of King Polybus, Oedipus' father in Corinth, and Oedipus is happy as it means the oracle's prophecy that he would kill his father and marry hsi mother is false. But the messenger reveals that Oedipus was actually adopted by Polybus, given to him by a shepherd from Thebes. The shepherd is summoned and the truth is revealed. Laius is Oedipus' father whom he killed, and Jocasta is Oedipus' mother whom he married. In despair, Oedipus stabs his eyes, then asks Creon to drive him into exile, while clutching his beloved daughters Antigone and Ismene.
This is the best of the plays, for one reason — dramatic irony. The Greek audience knew Oedipus's story before the play, and so Oedipus' actions are words are not merely those of a righteous, energetic king. Instead, almost every word he says is imbued with a second, tragic meaning, known only to the audience. To add to the irony, Oedipus' downfall is brought about by his own dynamism and demands for the truth. Like Tiresias, the messengers, the chorus and eventually even Jocasta, we want him to stop pursuing the truth, but he defiantly does so so that he can save Thebes, and in the process finds out the miserable truth of his life and destroys himself. As the truth becomes increasingly evident to everybody including the audience, it is surprising that the man who solved the sphinx's riddle cannot solve the riddle of his birth even with all the clues staring him in the face. Perhaps that's because it's a fate too horrible to comprehend until the evidence is undeniable.
Both Antigone and Oedipus the King show how the fates of great men are reversed. In Antigone, Creon, a tyrant, is humbled through his disrespect for the gods. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus, a good king, is destroyed by fate and prophecies. Even the most powerful man is weak when faced with greater forces.
Oedipus at Colonus
Exiled from Thebes, Oedipus, wandering with Antigone, arrives at Colonus, at a place sacred to the Eumenides (the Furies). Oedipus relates a prophecy that he would die at a place sacred to the Furies and that the place where he is buried would be blessed. He convinces a chorus of old men of Colonus to show him mercy, and they call Theseus, king of Athens, who treats Oedipus with kindness. Ismene arrives, informing Oedipus that Polynices has summoned the army of Argos to help him seize the throne of Thebes from Eteocles, his younger brother. The oracle at Delphi has told the people of the prophecy. Creon comes to try to bring Oedipus back to Thebes. Oedipus refuses, and Creon kidnaps Ismene and Antigone, but Theseus helps Oedipus rescue them. Polynices then comes seeking Oedipus' forgiveness, but Oedipus curses his sons instead. A thunderstorm starts. Knowing this is a sign of his death, Oedipus leads Theseus to a place where he dies, granting Athens blessings.
Oedipus at Colonus was performed after Sophocles' death, at a time when Athens have been defeated by the Spartans and was no longer the powerful city it had once been. This play would have given the Athenian audience some comfort. Theseus and the old men of Colonus (a suburb of Athens) show Oedipus kindness without knowing the details of the prophecy, and thereby bring blessings onto themselves. Oedipus, though old and blind, shows that though physically frail, he is the same Oedipus as in Oedipus the King, capable of spirited anger and forceful speech.
Interestingly, Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles all have plays that involve the battle between Eteocles and Polynices, and all show it from a different perspective. Sophocles' is the only one that only shows the events leading up to the battle, and does not show what happens at the battle at all. It is also the only one that treats it from Oedipus' perspective. And while Eteocles is younger than Polynices here, they are twins in Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, and Eteocles is older in Euripides' The Phoenician Women.
chris_dech's review against another edition
4.0
Dramatic and fast-paced, Sophocles delivers three well-crafted plays that stand the test of time.
Though not meant to be a proper trilogy, I think reading them in chronological order (Rex, Colonus, Antigone) is probably the best way of reading them. However, each play can be read by itself and is pretty self-contained. One does not need to read them in chronological order because Sophocles gives the proper context every time.
While Oedipus Rex is easily the most well-known of the plays (thanks to Freud), I think Antigone is probably the most moving play thanks to Antigone and the emotional weight of her actions and feelings.
Well worth the read, I would say these are better than Aeschylus' Oresteia. Again, though not a proper trilogy like the Oresteia, Sophocles nonetheless delivers impactful and dramatic stories that could move even the hardest to tears.
Though not meant to be a proper trilogy, I think reading them in chronological order (Rex, Colonus, Antigone) is probably the best way of reading them. However, each play can be read by itself and is pretty self-contained. One does not need to read them in chronological order because Sophocles gives the proper context every time.
While Oedipus Rex is easily the most well-known of the plays (thanks to Freud), I think Antigone is probably the most moving play thanks to Antigone and the emotional weight of her actions and feelings.
Well worth the read, I would say these are better than Aeschylus' Oresteia. Again, though not a proper trilogy like the Oresteia, Sophocles nonetheless delivers impactful and dramatic stories that could move even the hardest to tears.
elydy's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed these. Short and gripping & interesting character dynamics. Plus some really beautiful writing!
rebeccazh's review against another edition
Read Oedipus for one of my modules.
A play that looks at the limits of Hellenic knowledge - Oedipus who was on a quest for knowledge, but was horrified at the truth of himself and blinded himself so he would never see his shame anymore. The play inverts the usual idea of knowledge=light, ignorance=dark; Oedipus' self-blinding puts him forever in the dark, and seems a mark of having attained full self-knowledge (e.g., Tiresias the blind prophet who sees all). There's also the idea of sight passing on knowledge - he blinds himself so he can't pass on the shame of his truth; others want to see him, but can't bear to look at him for fear that his knowledge is 'contagious', in a sense.
The play is centuries old, but the dreadful tension and intensity that escalates and escalates to a fever pitch till the truth is revealed is as compelling as if it were a modern play. Really liked this play.
A play that looks at the limits of Hellenic knowledge - Oedipus who was on a quest for knowledge, but was horrified at the truth of himself and blinded himself so he would never see his shame anymore. The play inverts the usual idea of knowledge=light, ignorance=dark; Oedipus' self-blinding puts him forever in the dark, and seems a mark of having attained full self-knowledge (e.g., Tiresias the blind prophet who sees all). There's also the idea of sight passing on knowledge - he blinds himself so he can't pass on the shame of his truth; others want to see him, but can't bear to look at him for fear that his knowledge is 'contagious', in a sense.
The play is centuries old, but the dreadful tension and intensity that escalates and escalates to a fever pitch till the truth is revealed is as compelling as if it were a modern play. Really liked this play.
eclairemoon's review against another edition
5.0
So, I have always been rather fond of Greek tragedy as a whole but this piece takes the cake for awesome. Though Sophocles employes less grand artistry than Aeschylus and less description that Euripides, his pacing of the plot is phenomenal, and the truths about reality and morality are some of the grandest and best-portrayed in literature. And, this was the third book that I shed actual tears over. That's proof that the 'old dead guys' can be just as relateable and moving as modern stuff.
berriesinmypocket's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Antigone, Blood Ties, and Mania
Blood ties are the most difficult bonds to break, making them the most powerful. In most cases, familial love is a person’s first exposure to love. It unconsciously sets an example of what love should and shouldn’t be in one’s head. Once implanted, these notions are hard to break. Even once unhealthy tendencies are recognized, one still has to admit that they are rooted in more unfavorable aspects of their family dynamics. Despite all the strife and turmoil Antigone’s family has endured and inflicted upon each other in The Three Theban Plays, Antigone still holds love for all of them. She declares, “I was born to join in love, not hate— / that is my nature” (Antigone 590). And she does indeed go above and beyond for love, proving familial love is the most powerful because of the deep roots it has in a person. Her love is enduring and strengthening, a mixture of genuine affection, duty, and near the end, mania.
Antigone often affirms her love through acts of service. In the play Oedipus at Colonus, she leads her father, the blind, old Oedipus, towards his destinations and looks after him. Their roles are reversed, the child now taking care of the parent. Oedipus even declares that she “had been born to nurse [him]” (1545). He also claims that she’s more of a man than Polynices, his eldest son, “when it comes / to shouldering [his] burdens” (1548-49). Antigone takes up the roles of caretaker, guide, and son in order to share Oedipus’ hardships. She never complains or expresses any discontent with her situation. Her love for her father allows her to cross these boundaries and shoulder his hardships in stride.
Although Antigone takes care of Oedipus out of genuine love, her interactions with her sister, Ismene, make it clear that it has also become an obligation. In the play Antigone, Antigone insists on burying her brother Polynices, despite the king forbidding it. She approaches Ismene and asks her to “share the labor, share the work” (61). When Ismene refuses, Antigone is cold towards her for the rest of the play, stating, “I have no love for a friend who loves in words alone” (612). The underlying idea is that a person has to prove their love, and Oedipus was the one to instill this idea in Antigone. His dying words to her were, “one word alone repays you / for the labor of your lives—love, my children” (1829-30). In this quote, as well as throughout Oedipus at Colonus, he implies that his love is conditional, that Antigone has to work for it. She doesn’t understand why Ismene isn’t willing to go to extremes to demonstrate her love because she believes extremes are the only way to love.
Antigone’s devotion to Polynices is where her love becomes manic. Her close relationship with Polynices is evident in Oedipus at Colonus. Despite Polynices’ betrayal and hypocrisy towards Oedipus, she implores their father to hear him out. She also addresses him affectionately, calling him “poor brother” (Oedipus at Colonus 1447) and “my dear brother” (Antigone 63), and he does similarly. After Polynices (and Oedipus) dies, Antigone is consumed by her grief and believes death is her only escape from it. She’s also consoled by the fact that she’ll see her family in the underworld. Already set on her ending, she decides to die carrying out Polynices’ final wish—to be buried with honor. She insists that she is doing it for familial honor and religious duty, but she is almost too ready to sacrifice herself for her cause; her original purpose is muddled as it becomes increasingly apparent that she desperately wants to become a martyr and achieve glory. Her unclear motive and melodrama, incredibly different from her disposition in Oedipus at Colonus, mark her descent into mania. They also help reveal the invalidity of Oedipus’ “work for love” ideology; eventually, her love becomes more of a performance than genuine affection. In this final act in which Antigone literally dies on her hill for Polynices, she fulfills Oedipus’ extreme ideals but also unveils the weaknesses of them.
Fundamentally, Antigone is strengthened by love. She does rather impressive stunts for her family, such as dedicating a large part of her life to Oedipus’ care, and sacrificing herself in order to bury Polynices. Creon and Oedipus both compare her to a man (Antigone 541-42, Oedipus at Colonus 1548-49) while describing her strength and stubbornness. The problem lies within her love being horribly misplaced. Oedipus’ lineage was doomed from its incestuous start. Ismene recognizes this, and while she still cares for her family, she is reluctant to go above and beyond for them. Contrastingly, Antigone is unmoving in her dedication. Her family is a rowboat with holes that she is determined to get to shore, even as it’s halfway underwater. Her fierce loyalty to her family strengthens her, but it also blinds her to their wrongs. It gives her a close-minded perspective, ultimately setting her up for destruction in her play. Antigone proves that familial love is the most powerful type of love, but not necessarily the most admirable.
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
challenging
4.25
Oedipus the King has always been one of my favorite plays, and I absolutely adored reading Antigone for the first time. The final play was a bit anticlimactic for me, but still incredibly haunting.
shres's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mollicadipane's review against another edition
4.0
Antigone badass let me be your woman woman woman woman I could be your woman
dukeofthelotls's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0