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Sophocles I (1991)

by David Grene(Favorite Author)

3.97 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

The University of Chicago Press

review 1: Sophocles's three major tragedies relating to the House of Thebes and the Oedipal family are so transcendent and important that Freud found a psychological complex in its weaving. The themes of Oedipus are even deeper than that, touching upon the motifs of light and knowledge against darkness and ignorance, and the intricate relation of these ideas are present throughout the tale of Oedipus Rex. Ultimately, ignorance is what entraps us into our fates, and Oedipus's self-punishment is a permanent banishment to the realm of darkness, an acknowledgment that the brightest and noblest of us all are never more transcendent than the limitations of our own ignorance. Oedipus at Colonus tells the story of his self-banishment and how refusal to acknowledge his fate led to the destru... morection of others. Antigone is one of the most resonant tragedies to us, as it relates a person's stubborn refusal to give in to political dictates and to follow their own conscience, even if it leads to their destruction. These powerful tales of the personal and the public are masterfully translated by some of the masters of Greek translation, and they feel neither too archaic nor too modern, as the current trend towards translation tends to err. They feel like verse, but with the power and components of the best poetry. An essential tragic cycle in drama, and a great edition.
review 2: An extremely readable translation of a culturally resonant story (well, three stories). I particularly appreciated Grene's (very occasional) annotations, describing the importance of particular dramatic techniques. These plays come from a culture long gone, however much of it we claim as our heritage today. It's important to bring in that extra bit of perspective.Of the three, Oedipus the King was my favorite. Oedipus at Colonus was interesting but not as exciting, and Antigone was going places, but wasn't really as satisfying. All three of them are definitely worth the time. less

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