A review by s_books
The Theban Plays by Sophocles

3.25

This E.F. Watling translation is a pretty decent translation of Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy/The Theban Plays. I'd years ago read a different translation and had a hard time getting through that one but these one seems pretty good. For all that, the most famous of the three plays, Oedipus Rex (or King Oedipus as it's titled in this edition) actually seems to be the worst of the three; there are parts where the dialogue seems overblown and full of bluster, taking longer than necessary to reach the conclusion that most people (and the original audience) already would have known to be coming. Antigone is pretty good although, as we'd never seen Antigone's betrothed before he enters the scene, his storyline doesn't feel as moving as it could be if we'd known they were engaged prior. Oedipus at Colonus is also pretty good; it falls between the two plays in quality as well as storyline (more blustery than Antigone but not near as blustery as Oedipus Rex, likewise more succinct than Oedipus Rex but not as succinct as Antigone) though it was written last.