Reviews

The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles

rebeccazh's review against another edition

Read Oedipus for one of my modules.

A play that looks at the limits of Hellenic knowledge - Oedipus who was on a quest for knowledge, but was horrified at the truth of himself and blinded himself so he would never see his shame anymore. The play inverts the usual idea of knowledge=light, ignorance=dark; Oedipus' self-blinding puts him forever in the dark, and seems a mark of having attained full self-knowledge (e.g., Tiresias the blind prophet who sees all). There's also the idea of sight passing on knowledge - he blinds himself so he can't pass on the shame of his truth; others want to see him, but can't bear to look at him for fear that his knowledge is 'contagious', in a sense.

The play is centuries old, but the dreadful tension and intensity that escalates and escalates to a fever pitch till the truth is revealed is as compelling as if it were a modern play. Really liked this play.

kaynic22's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shaunnow38's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

lebelinconnu's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

sci_twi02's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

araby's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

andy_acid's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense

3.5

 Seemingly a more philosophical work of ancient Greek literature, this book revolves around the notion of fate and free will, leading to an ambiguous stance on whether fate trumps or free will prevails. Similar to other Greek epics, the tragedy of the book is heavily influenced by divine and mystical beings, before whom mortals are depicted to be powerless. While the plot/narrative may be thin and contains several loopholes , I wouldn't say it is lacking in entertainment value from a subjective standpoint.
p.s: The translation by Robert Fagles stands out in comparison to David Greene/Richard Lattimore, and the extended notes accompanying each play add a nice touch to the book

3.5/5 

mood_124's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

constantinek's review

2 copies

puppym's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0