The stirring tale of a legendary royal family's fall and ultimate redemption, the Theban trilogy endures as the crowning achievement of Greek drama. Sophocles' 3-play cycle, chronicling Oedipus's search for the truth and its tragic results, remains essential reading for English and classical studies majors as well as for all students of Western civilization. Excerpts from The Dramas of Sophocles Rendered in English Verse, Dramatic & Lyric by Sir George Young, published by J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., London, 1906.
Five Great Greek Tragedies by Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus Features Oedipus Rex and Electra by Sophocles (translated by George Young), Medea and Bacchae by Euripides (translated by Henry Hart Milman), and PrometheusBound by Aeschylus (translated by George Thomson).
Electra by Sophocles Masterpiece of drama concerns the revenge Electra takes on her mother for the murder of her father. One of the best-known heroines of all drama and a towering figure of Greek tragedy.
The Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus Oedipus's sons vie for the Theban crown. The victor, Eteocles, expels his brother, Polyneices, who flees to Argos and recruits a force of 7 champions to lead an assault on Thebes, with tragic results.
Medea by Euripides One of the most powerful and enduring of Greek tragedies, masterfully portraying the fierce motives driving Medea's pursuit of vengeance for her husband's insult and betrayal. Authoritative Rex Warner translation.
Antigone by Sophocles Filled with passionate speeches and sensitive probing of moral and philosophical issues, this powerful and often-performed Greek drama reveals the grim fate that befalls the children of Oedipus. Footnotes.
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Landmark of Western drama concerns the catastrophe that ensues when King Oedipus discovers he has inadvertently killed his father and married his mother. Masterly construction, dramatic irony. Explanatory footnotes.
