Getting Serious with Sophocles

Hello everyone, 

I hope you are all enjoying your week so far. It’s been a while since I've done a book review, revision plays havoc with my free time for reading, but needs must when the devil drives! I know I am not the first and nor will I be the last to review one of the great masters, however, I still wanted to share my thoughts with you on The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles. 

Narcissus flowers (Daffodils) were the flower of the underworld!

Ancient Greek literature is not exactly a common place genre, but I think it is highly underrated. A lot of people get forced into it at school and it completely puts them off. It’s a real shame, because this genre is amazing. The fact that it has survived this long is testament to that.  

The Three Theban Plays are Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. They all centre around Oedipus. The prince, fated to murder his father and marry his mother, is cast out at birth to die in the hills, but he is rescued and raised unaware of the prophecy. Unable to avoid fate’s design all that was foretold comes to pass, driving Oedipus mad in the process. He is exiled and wanders the earth, searching for his final resting place. He finds it at Colonus and curses Thebes and all who live there. Antigone, his daughter, mourns his passing and seeks to reconcile her brothers, but they kill each other. Antigone is fearful of the Gods and more than a little enamoured with death, she repeatedly calls on the Gods for mercy and justice, always linking it to death and the underworld. Defying the law of the King, Antigone buries her brother and is punished. She hangs herself during her punishment, finally going down to the death she was obsessed with. These tragic events lead to the suicide of the King’s son, her betrothed, and the King’s wife thus ending the cursed line of Oedipus. 

These stories are old classics and Sophocles writes them beautifully. Although I have summarised them in order, he actually wrote the plays with Antigone first, followed by Oedipus the King and finally Oedipus at Colonus. I found them a joy to read and loved the introductions by Robert Fagles, the translator of this edition. It wasn’t as hard going as I expected and although they are all three tragedies I found them more insightful into human nature and the desire to self-destruct than purely sad. As an introduction to this genre I couldn’t recommend them more, they make for quick reading and the asides from the chorus are quite amusing! I can’t wait to explore Ancient Greek plays more. 

Have you read this? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo