Theban Plays FROM THE PUBLISHER
The legends surrounding Oedipus of Thebes and his illstarred offspring provided a rich vein for the Greek tragic dramatists. Sophocles (496-406 BC) returned to this source several times, and it inspired his three greatest plays, which are contained in this volume. Antigone (442-441) is the tragedy of a woman ruled by conscience, who obeys unwritten law when it clashes with human law. King Oedipus (c. 425) is the story of a ruler brought down by his own oath, unknowingly in conflict with himself. Oedipus at Colonus, written late in Sophocles' life, is a fittinga and profound conclusion, telling of the passing of the aged and self-blinded king. All Sophocles' heroes and heroines are larger than life, so that they portray the human condition in panoramic and vivid fashion. These three plays are proof of the timeless greatness of Greek tragedy.
SYNOPSIS
This volume offers the fruits of Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruffﾽs dynamic collaboration on the plays of Sophoclesﾽ Theban cycle, presenting the translatorsﾽ Oedipus Tyrannus (2000) along with Woodruffﾽs Antigone (2001) and a muscular new Oedipus at Colonus by Meineck. Grippingly readable, all three translations combine fidelity to the Greek with concision, clarity, and powerful, hard-edged speech. Each play features foot-of-the-page notes, stage directions, and line numbers to the Greek. Woodruffﾽs Introduction discusses the playwright, Athenian theatre and performance, the composition of the plays, and the plots and characters of each; it also offers thoughtful reflections on major critical interpretations of these plays.
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