Oedipus Rex Paperback

When hard times befall the city, a messenger from Apollo states that the curse will be lifted only after the former king’s killer is brought to justice.

When hard times befall the city, a messenger from Apollo states that the curse will be lifted only after the former king’s killer is brought to justice.

Free e Book offer available to NEW US subscribers only.

Offer redeemable at Simon & Schuster's ebook fulfillment partner. See full terms and conditions and this month's choices.

List of Maps Oedipus the King Introduction Translation Aias Introduction Translation Philoctetes Introduction Translation Oedipus at Colonus Introduction Translation Notes Select Biblography Sophocles Oliver Taplin, Emeritus Professor of Classics, University of Oxford Oliver Taplin retired in 2008 from being a Professor of Classics at the University of Oxford and, for thirty-five years, Tutorial Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford. Sophocles, born in the 490s BC, was a leading ancient Greek dramatist who composed as many as 120 plays in his long lifetime, although only seven survive.

The leading recurrent theme of his work has been the reception of poetry and drama through performance and material culture, in both ancient and modern times. He entered and won many of the dramatic competitions held in honour of Dionysus, and was also a prominent public figure in the Athens of his day.

In presenting the story of King Oedipus and the tragedy that ensues when he discovers he has inadvertently killed his father and married his mother, the play exhibits near-perfect harmony of character and action.

Moreover, the masterly use of dramatic irony greatly intensifies the impact of the agonizing events and emotions experienced by Oedipus and the other characters in the play.You'll always save at least 25% on any paperback you order.If the retail value of your order is at least 0, you'll save 30%.As an adult, Oedipus learns of the prophecy and leaves home in an attempt to prevent the events from coming true.His travels bring him to Thebes, where he quarrels with a man and kills him. The universal themes of guilt, sorrow, justice, and family make this otherwise-daunting text accessible.Students unfamiliar with ancient Greece will benefit from our 's extensive background information on the play and Greek drama.Considered by many the greatest of the classic Greek tragedies, Oedipus Rex is Sophocles' finest play and a work of extraordinary power and resonance.Aristotle considered it a masterpiece of dramatic construction and refers to it frequently in the Poetics.In Oedipus at Colonus the blind Oedipus, who has wandered far and wide as a beggar, finally meets his mysterious death.These original and distinctive verse translations convey the vitality of Sophocles' poetry and the vigour of the plays in performance.