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538 reviews for:
The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
Sophocles
3.86 AVERAGE
538 reviews for:
The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
Sophocles
3.86 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Sophocles' plays far more than those of the other writers of Greek tragedy that we have read so far for my class! His transitions are very smooth and these plays are easy to follow and relate to one another!
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Antigone: 5/5
Oedipus the King: 4.5/5
Oedipus at Colonus: 3/5
When I started Antigone, I had already read Oedipus the King a few years ago, and had it in my head that Oedipus the King could not be beat. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed Antigone. Maybe it’s because there was a clear hero and villain in Antigone, whereas in Oedipus the King, Oedipus often does things that make him unlikable, verging on tyrannical and villainous, yet is obviously meant to me the hero. Flawed heroes are great though, so I still loved Oedipus the King - he is hero and villain both. But still, Antigone, also flawed, was more appealing to me as a hero.
And, to defend my label of these plays as ‘funny’: the sentry in Antigone was hilarious (nobody can convince me otherwise) and the arguments in Oedipus the King between Oedipus and both Teiresias and Creon had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Oedipus at Colonus, though, just didn’t do it for me. Oedipus is more insufferable(though I stand by his hatred for his sons) . Theseus makes me uncomfortable, since I know his myths wherein he kidnaps a goddess and abandons an innocent woman on an island . So, all the praise of him being so kind and magnanimous is weird to me, even though I understand why Sophocles would have written him that way.
Ultimately, it’s a series of plays I would recommend, though maybe I’d suggest skipping Oedipus at Colonus if you aren’t too fussed about not having all the context for Antigone. Especially since your technically meant to read Antigone first, anyway.
Oedipus the King: 4.5/5
Oedipus at Colonus: 3/5
When I started Antigone, I had already read Oedipus the King a few years ago, and had it in my head that Oedipus the King could not be beat. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed Antigone. Maybe it’s because there was a clear hero and villain in Antigone, whereas in Oedipus the King, Oedipus often does things that make him unlikable, verging on tyrannical and villainous, yet is obviously meant to me the hero. Flawed heroes are great though, so I still loved Oedipus the King - he is hero and villain both. But still, Antigone, also flawed, was more appealing to me as a hero.
And, to defend my label of these plays as ‘funny’: the sentry in Antigone was hilarious (nobody can convince me otherwise) and the arguments in Oedipus the King between Oedipus and both Teiresias and Creon had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Oedipus at Colonus, though, just didn’t do it for me. Oedipus is more insufferable
Ultimately, it’s a series of plays I would recommend, though maybe I’d suggest skipping Oedipus at Colonus if you aren’t too fussed about not having all the context for Antigone. Especially since your technically meant to read Antigone first, anyway.
Rating is a bit of a bugger, because three plays in one. Oedipus the King ****, Oedipus at Colonus *** and Antigone *****, so I average it out. Really enjoyable to sink into some old school classics. Seeing tragedy in one of its most classic forms, you get to really appreciate how foundational these texts are. The ideas raised, about duty and fate and honor, it's fascinating.
Oedipus Rex: 5 stars
Oedipus at Colonus: 3 stars
Antigone: 3 stars
Oedipus at Colonus: 3 stars
Antigone: 3 stars
Really interesting contrast between divine right and moral law- δικέ is explored in a lot of ways throughout the plays that was all a different, new perspective that changes your mind about the previous opinion.
I wish they had learned their lesson about incest in the first two acts but apparently cousins are okay to marry. And yet everyone still ended up dead in a stone tomb. As if the consequences of incest weren't discovered a day ago. Who knew.
Went into these plays with a heavy bias against Creon, couldn't really shake it throughout the plays, especially in the third act of Antigone. Definitely skewed my reading a bit but it was still very good.
I wish they had learned their lesson about incest in the first two acts but apparently cousins are okay to marry. And yet everyone still ended up dead in a stone tomb. As if the consequences of incest weren't discovered a day ago. Who knew.
Went into these plays with a heavy bias against Creon, couldn't really shake it throughout the plays, especially in the third act of Antigone. Definitely skewed my reading a bit but it was still very good.