Sophocles
496 – 406 BCE
Biographical Information
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Born in Athens in the town of Colonus.
He grew up during the Persian Wars, and was chosen to
participate in the victory celebrations for the Greek
naval victory at Salamis in 480 BCE, an honor that
suggests that the young Sophocles was particularly
talented and handsome.
Sophocles was also a founder of the cult of the god
Asclepius (Greek god of healing and medicine) in 420
BCE, an activity which may have been connected to the
establishment of a public hospital
Biographical Information
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He wrote around one hundred and twenty-three plays for the
Athenian theatre, and won twenty-four festivals -- he placed
second in every festival that did not win.
Only seven of his plays, however, have survived intact. They
are: Ajax, Antigone , The Women of Trachis , Oedipus the King, Electra
, Philoctetes , and Oedipus at Colonus.
He also introduced several key innovations, including
painted background scenery, changing the number of
speaking actors from two to three, and enlarging the
chorus from twelve to fifteen men.
The Greek Drama
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The Greek drama began as a religious observance in honor of
Dionysus, god of wine, agriculture, and theater.
Originally, the story was told in the form of a song, chanted at
first by everyone taking part in the festival, and later by a chorus
of about fifty performers, and at intervals in the song the leader
would recite part of the story himself.
A Greek drama was in many ways much simpler than a modern
drama. There were fewer characters, and usually only three
speaking actors were allowed on the stage at once. There was
only one story.
Greek Drama
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Greek festivals were held
yearly in the spring and it
was considered a holiday
time for the citizens.
Performances were directly
related to Dionysus and
were preceded by a sacrifice.
Festivals would last from
sun up to sun down and
awards were given to the
best plays.
Greek audiences were very
critical, and shouts and
applause, or groans and
hisses showed its approval
or disapproval of the play
The Chorus
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The Chorus is a group of 12 to 15 actors who offered a
variety of background and summary information to
help the audience follow the performance.
The chorus expressed to the audience what the main
characters could not say, such as their fears or secrets.
The Greek chorus usually communicated in song
form, but sometimes spoke their lines in unison.
As the Greek theaters were so large, the chorus' actions
had to be exaggerated and their voices clear so that
everyone could see and hear them.
Prologue
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Oedipus and his family are the central figures in this Greek
mythology story.
Two generations before the story of Antigone, King Laius and
Queen Jocasta of Thebes had a newborn son who, according to
the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was destined to kill his father and
marry his mother.
They were horrified by this prophecy and they devised a plan to
get rid of their child.
Laius pierced the baby’s feet with an iron pin to prevent him
from crawling and gave him to a shepard, with orders to
abandon the child in the the mountains where he would die from
exposure.
Prologue Cont.
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The shephard took pity on the child and instead, gave him to his
employers, King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.
They named him Oedipus, which means “swollen foot”.
When Oedipus became a young man had heard rumors that he
was adopted so he set out to find out the truth. He asked the
oracle who told him the prophecy about killing his father and
marrying his mother.
Oedipus was horrified and didn’t want to hurt his parents so he
left Corinth never to return.
Prologue Cont.
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Oedipus traveled through Greece
and eventually arrived near Thebes,
which was, at the time, being
ravaged by a savage monster, the
Sphinx.
He came upon a crossroads and
argued with another traveler about
the right-of-way. The traveler was
King Laius who was on his way to
try and kill the sphinx.
Laius insulted Oedipus and so he
took out his sword and killed Laius.
Prologue Cont.
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Oedipus continued on his journey and came upon the Sphinx.
The monster controlled the path and asked each traveler a riddle.
If they did not get the riddle correct then she would eat them.
The riddle was: “What walks on four legs in the morning, two
legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?
Oedipus answered correctly and the Sphinx was so upset she
threw herself off a cliff and died.
The city of Thebes was so grateful they named him King and
gave him the hand of marriage to the recently widowed Queen
Jacosta. They had four children together, 2 sons Eteocles and
Polynices, and two girls Antigone and Ismene.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles
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Oedipus the King – The King discovers that he has killed his father
Laius and married his own mother. This terrible abomination
causes a plague to sweep the land. The citizens of Thebes beg
the King to cleanse the area of its terrible secret and the King
swears to find the root of their suffering. When the secret is
publicly revealed his wife/mother commits suicide and Oedipus
pokes his eyes out with the brooch from her dress. He holds his
two daughters Antigone and Ismene in his arms and then is
exiled forever from Thebes.
Oedipus at Colonus
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Oedipus at Colonus - Oedipus becomes a wanderer, pursued by
Creon and his men. He finally finds refuge at the holy wilderness
right outside of Athens, where it is said that Theseus took care
of him and his daughter, Antigone. Creon eventually catches up
to Oedipus. He asks Oedipus to come back from Colonus to
bless his son, Eteocles. Angry that his son did not care for him
enough to take care of him, he curses both Eteocles and brother,
condemning to sudden deaths. He died a peaceful death and his
grave is said to be sacred to the gods.
Antigone by Sophocles
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Antigone – When Oedipus stepped down he gave the
kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who
both agreed to alternate the throne every year.
However, they showed no concern for their father, who
cursed them for their negligence. After the first year,
Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked
Thebes with his supporters. Both brothers died in the
battle. King Creon, who ascended to the throne of
Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried,
that he was a traitor. Antigone defies his order and
buries her brother herself.