547 reviews for:

The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone

Sophocles

3.86 AVERAGE

araby's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jeslyncat's review against another edition

5.0

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I'm going to try to write a short review of this work without gushing. Too much.

These plays are literally one of the best things I have ever read, experienced, studied, analyzed, wrote about, and loved.

I have literally driven more than an hour by myself to see a low-grade production just to witness another person's take on [a:Sophocles|1002|Sophocles|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1195014481p2/1002.jpg]' words.

[b:The Oedipus Cycle|1540|The Oedipus Cycle Oedipus Rex / Oedipus at Colonus / Antigone|Sophocles|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328876438s/1540.jpg|5672] is written in the tradition of Greek mythological tragedy of the time period, but it stands out with originality, emotion, intrigue, twists and turns, and the shock and awe involved.

If you have ever enjoyed a good moment of any type of Ancient Greek culture, any mythology, any theatre, any acting, any good soap opera drama, or just darn good story--please pick up a copy of this book.

Please.

yass6's review against another edition

3.5

reflective medium-paced

naridon's review against another edition

4.0

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Oedipus the King > Antigone > Oedipus at Colonus

baronet_coins's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

andy_acid's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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 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 against another edition

3.75

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

constantinek's review against another edition

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2 copies

puppym's review against another edition

2.0

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

owenpeak's review against another edition

3.0

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This was decent. The stories of Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone were all very strong and had a lot to say about the inevitability of fate and the role of women in Ancient Greece. Surprisingly, Oedipus at Colonus was my favourite; I thought the imagery used to describe the grove was very luscious and the appearance of Theseus was a nice touch. Moreover, the characters of Jocasta and Antigone in the other two plays were also very thought-provoking and left big impressions on me. However, my one main qualm was that most of the action occurred off-stage, being described by other characters- I wanted to see it!