12 questions · Literature
Sophocles, born around 497 BC in Colonus near Athens, is the very embodiment of the Attic tragedian and a favourite of fortune: handsome, musical, wealthy, laden with honours. At sixteen he is said to have led the victory dance after the battle of Salamis; later he held high offices of state, serving as treasurer and as general alongside Pericles. Above all, he ruled the stage for half a century: at the Dionysia, Athens' great dramatic competitions, he won 18 times or more: more often than anyone else; his very first victory, in 468 BC, came against the great Aeschylus. Of his more than 120 plays only seven survive complete: but what plays they are. 'Oedipus the King' has counted since Aristotle as the model tragedy: Oedipus hunts the killer of the old king and discovers, step by step, that it is himself: the man who unknowingly slew his father and married his mother. In the end he blinds himself. 'Antigone' poses the eternal question of conscience versus law: the heroine buries her fallen brother against the decree of the ruler Creon and thereby chooses death: unwritten divine law against reasons of state. Add 'Electra', 'Ajax', 'Philoctetes' and 'The Women of Trachis'; in old age the poet completed 'Oedipus at Colonus', a late work about his native village. To stagecraft Sophocles gave the third actor and scene painting. He died around 406 BC, aged about 90: shortly after Euripides, whose death he had honoured by dressing his chorus in mourning. Did you know that Sigmund Freud named the 'Oedipus complex' after Sophocles' hero? Hardly any ancient story lives on so directly today.
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tragedy
With Aeschylus and Euripides he forms the great trio of Attic tragedians.
💡 Did you know? Sophocles ranks with Aeschylus and Euripides as one of the three great tragedians of Athens.
Oedipus the King
Since Aristotle's 'Poetics' it has counted as the model tragedy.
💡 Did you know? Aristotle held „Oedipus the King“ to be the most perfect tragedy of all.
He blinds himself
With the brooches of his dead mother and wife Jocasta: seeing blindness as the closing image.
💡 Did you know? Oedipus blinds himself with the brooches of his dead mother: one of the most powerful images in tragedy.
Antigone
Unwritten divine law against reasons of state: her antagonist is King Creon.
💡 Did you know? Antigone's clash between divine law and the state's command still fascinates philosophers today.
18 times
His very first victory, in 468 BC, came against the great Aeschylus.
💡 Did you know? Sophocles won the Athenian contests more often than any other tragedian and never came last.
seven
Among them 'Oedipus the King', 'Antigone', 'Electra' and 'Oedipus at Colonus'.
💡 Did you know? Of over 120 plays only seven survive complete: the rest were lost in antiquity.
the third actor
It made more complex dialogue scenes possible: Aeschylus himself adopted the innovation.
💡 Did you know? By adding a third actor, Sophocles made more complex dialogue and conflict possible on stage.
Pericles
The poet held high offices of state, including treasurer of the Delian League.
💡 Did you know? Sophocles was not only a poet but also an elected general and high official of Athens.
Sigmund Freud
The 'Oedipus complex' turned the ancient story into a modern concept.
💡 Did you know? Sigmund Freud named the „Oedipus complex“ after Sophocles' royal tragedy.
Salamis
480 BC: legend has the handsome sixteen-year-old dancing to the lyre.
💡 Did you know? The handsome young Sophocles is said to have led the victory chorus, naked, after the Battle of Salamis.
Oedipus at Colonus
First performed only after his death: the roughly 90-year-old died around 406 BC.
💡 Did you know? Sophocles completed „Oedipus at Colonus“ aged over 90: letting his hero find peace in his own birthplace.
Foto: sailko · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Sophocles
Sophocles (c. 497 to 406 BC) was one of the three great tragedians of ancient Athens. Works like „Oedipus the King“ and „Antigone“ still shape European theatre today.
💡 Did you know? Sophocles lived to over 90 and stayed creative into great old age: a rare fortune in antiquity.
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