The Theban Plays
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Tragic
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The Theban Plays Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone

Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thereby brought disaster on his city and family. The story of Oedipus is the subject of Sophocles's tragedy Oedipus the King, which was followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone. Together, these plays make up Sophocles's three Theban plays contained herein. Oedipus represents two enduring themes of Greek myth and drama: the flawed nature of humanity and an individual's powerlessness against the course of destiny in a harsh universe.Sophocles (circa 497 BC – 406 BC) is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides. According to the Suda, a 10th century encyclopedia, Sophocles wrote 123 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, The Women of Trachis, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus.
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Reviews

Photo of Maureen
Maureen@bluereen
4 stars
Jul 27, 2024

"Mortals cannot escape their destiny." To say each play is a tragedy would be an understatement. Happy to have finally read the source of Freud's Oedipux complex. As always, the women of ancient Greek society were always belittled and disrespected by the men.

Photo of Mari
Mari@mythicalreads
3.5 stars
Oct 15, 2023

Antigone was the best play. The rest is just a bunch of men being dramatic and making long speeches.

Photo of Bi
Bi@mytileneve
4 stars
Jun 28, 2023

enjoyed these greatly! Read the Storr translation for all three and also read the Woodruff translation of Antigone because it was my favourite.

Photo of Zeke Taylor
Zeke Taylor@zt1230
5 stars
May 29, 2022

Really like Robert Fagles

Photo of Milo Jean
Milo Jean@milojean
5 stars
Jan 26, 2022

Sometimes I’m not sure what to say about classics. I had always meant to get around to reading these and I’m so glad I did. I personally really enjoyed them and the way fate weaves its way through these characters lives. I went ahead and read them in the order the penguin classics edition had them in and all the introduction/background information as well and I felt that was really helpful to deepen my understanding of the plays. I liked them all so much, it’s hard to choose a favorite but I may be partial to Antigone.

Photo of Jasmine
Jasmine@jasmine
4 stars
Jan 2, 2022

A great pick for enriching oneself with golden age of Athens✨ Sophocles’s portrayal of Oedipus is parallel to the ideal trait of an Athenian if analysed. The plays are epic tragedies. One can never go wrong with classic literature ❤️.

+8
Photo of Rebekah Holland
Rebekah Holland@bekah97
4 stars
Dec 6, 2021

I’ve always wanted to read more plays, especially Greek tragedy and the Three Theban Plays are a good place to start. The prophecies and grief that surround Oedipus are probably one of the more well known stories, and it was great to read more about his life and destiny after his exile. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants to know more in-depth knowledge about all the events that transpired.

Photo of Jeni Enjaian
Jeni Enjaian@jenienjaian
3 stars
Oct 30, 2021

I'll start this review by saying that I am definitely not the target audience. While I enjoy attending the occasional play and love Shakespeare, I find that reading most plays leaves something to be desired. That being said, I found this particular plays very limited in scope. Perhaps that's due to both the genre and the time in which they were written. The plot was incredibly easy to predict. (Although I suspect that even the mildest familiarity with Greek mythology will render the plots of these plays predictable.) It was a decent translation, fairly easy to read. I would recommend this book to those who either love plays or want to read through the classics. (Of course, I also recommend it to people who want to do both.) If you're not a fan of either of those things, this book is probably not your cup of tea.

Photo of Draculelle
Draculelle@draculelle
3 stars
Aug 26, 2021

*3.5

Photo of Niki Sotiropoulou-Nassika
Niki Sotiropoulou-Nassika@nikisn
5 stars
Oct 17, 2023
Photo of Celestine Taevs-Nakaya
Celestine Taevs-Nakaya@celestine
3 stars
Oct 8, 2022
Photo of Arron Kau
Arron Kau@arronkau
5 stars
Aug 15, 2022
Photo of Gaurav Verma
Gaurav Verma@gaurav99
5 stars
May 4, 2022
Photo of Helene Utterback
Helene Utterback@helene250
4 stars
May 3, 2022
Photo of baelgia
baelgia@baelgia
4 stars
Mar 12, 2022
Photo of Kevin Bertolero
Kevin Bertolero@kevin_bertolero
4 stars
Mar 4, 2022
Photo of Anna Campbell
Anna Campbell@ajcampbell
4 stars
Mar 3, 2022
Photo of Kathryn Emerson
Kathryn Emerson@kaemerson
5 stars
Mar 1, 2022
Photo of Issa Dimayuga
Issa Dimayuga@issadimayuga
4 stars
Dec 16, 2021
Photo of Karin
Karin @karinrabia
4 stars
Dec 13, 2021
Photo of Infamous Millimetre
Infamous Millimetre@infamous_millimitre
5 stars
Nov 2, 2021
Photo of Sam Spott
Sam Spott@samalot
3 stars
Nov 1, 2021
Photo of Deniz Hasanzaadeh
Deniz Hasanzaadeh @shirqahve
4 stars
Oct 26, 2021
Photo of Lizzy Frykman
Lizzy Frykman@frizzylykman
5 stars
Sep 26, 2021

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