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548 reviews for:
The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
Sophocles
3.86 AVERAGE
548 reviews for:
The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone
Sophocles
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
These three plays makes me feel as if the fates are gathering a dark storm around my house. The role of fate and destiny has never come across so strongly. The reading of these dramas was riveting and it struck me how rarely I come across them in live performances (or in films). I wonder why that is so. I felt that there were interesting parallels to Romeo and Juliet in Antigone for some reason. Both Antigone and Oedipus Rex came across as more powerful and focused compared to Oedipus at Colonus. It saddens me that only seven of Sophocles' hundred dramas survived to the present time. I wonder what kind of treasures that were lost to mold and decay as papyrus and parchments gathered dust on forgotten shelves....
" . . . count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last."
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read Oedipus the King and Antigone earlier this year, but it was worth a revisit.
This time round I read the Penguin translation by Robert Fagles, it included Oedipus at Colonus, the three together make the Theban plays.
In this edition, each play starts with an essay by Bernard Knox, which I enjoyed reading as much as the plays, and more so, because this time I could follow all the points made without the need to Google anything or refer to any of my other books. Just being able to do this feels good.
I also found the two Oedipus plays left me with a slightly better sense of fate and suffering. I have always struggled with how these concepts are rationalised, especially fate. In my own experience fate is used to justify poor behaviour, where when you stand up to it there are repercussions. So, although I don’t fully appreciate the positives of fate and suffering (the latter being the deal that’s been handed down), reading the two Oedipus plays gives me a glimmer of a different perspective.
Of Antigone, her determination for justice doesn’t win me over completely to her side, especially in how she rejects her sister Ismene. Though, out of the three plays, it has the most comedy with the scenes between a sentry and Creon. These are brilliantly timed and breaks up the tension that is otherwise a very tragic drama.
Looking back, these plays have not been an easy read but with each attempt I have come away with more understanding than before. This is thrilling for me, and encourages me to keep coming back to these plays to read again and again.
This time round I read the Penguin translation by Robert Fagles, it included Oedipus at Colonus, the three together make the Theban plays.
In this edition, each play starts with an essay by Bernard Knox, which I enjoyed reading as much as the plays, and more so, because this time I could follow all the points made without the need to Google anything or refer to any of my other books. Just being able to do this feels good.
I also found the two Oedipus plays left me with a slightly better sense of fate and suffering. I have always struggled with how these concepts are rationalised, especially fate. In my own experience fate is used to justify poor behaviour, where when you stand up to it there are repercussions. So, although I don’t fully appreciate the positives of fate and suffering (the latter being the deal that’s been handed down), reading the two Oedipus plays gives me a glimmer of a different perspective.
Of Antigone, her determination for justice doesn’t win me over completely to her side, especially in how she rejects her sister Ismene. Though, out of the three plays, it has the most comedy with the scenes between a sentry and Creon. These are brilliantly timed and breaks up the tension that is otherwise a very tragic drama.
Looking back, these plays have not been an easy read but with each attempt I have come away with more understanding than before. This is thrilling for me, and encourages me to keep coming back to these plays to read again and again.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Big take away: Men talk so much in Greek Lit, which I suppose makes sense, given the times, but they talk so much.
“Is anyone in all the world safe from unhappiness?”
This is the fourth time I’ve read this trio of plays and this will be my first review of it. Perhaps it is better that way. 17 year old me who read this first had never even experienced heartbreak, much less the immense pain of leaving someone you love to complete an education you didn’t necessarily want to pursue in the first place.
Regardless, the pain and loss I’ve experienced in my 23 years of life pales in comparison to that of our dear Oedipus. A man who tried so hard to run from fate, that he ran straight into it, leading ultimately to the death of his entire family (besides Ismene? that part was somewhat unclear).
I find it interesting that we see Oedipus in two very different stages of his life, but the grief he incurred during our first picture of a reigning King is no less when we find him as an old blind wanderer.
Rest in peace, Antigone. Could those men have shut up for two seconds and realized how their pride was impacting their choices? Realistically if one man, in the entire play, had just shut up for two seconds, how many people other than Oedipus and Iocaste would have had to die?
This was not the review I was hoping to write, I think. But it is the review that has been written.
Maybe one day humanity will universally recognize our hubris and avoid the fall that many individuals have taken before. Or maybe not.
“Is anyone in all the world safe from unhappiness?”
This is the fourth time I’ve read this trio of plays and this will be my first review of it. Perhaps it is better that way. 17 year old me who read this first had never even experienced heartbreak, much less the immense pain of leaving someone you love to complete an education you didn’t necessarily want to pursue in the first place.
Regardless, the pain and loss I’ve experienced in my 23 years of life pales in comparison to that of our dear Oedipus. A man who tried so hard to run from fate, that he ran straight into it, leading ultimately to the death of his entire family (besides Ismene? that part was somewhat unclear).
I find it interesting that we see Oedipus in two very different stages of his life, but the grief he incurred during our first picture of a reigning King is no less when we find him as an old blind wanderer.
Rest in peace, Antigone. Could those men have shut up for two seconds and realized how their pride was impacting their choices? Realistically if one man, in the entire play, had just shut up for two seconds, how many people other than Oedipus and Iocaste would have had to die?
This was not the review I was hoping to write, I think. But it is the review that has been written.
Maybe one day humanity will universally recognize our hubris and avoid the fall that many individuals have taken before. Or maybe not.
Antigone, then Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at colonus is my least favorite. I did it tho. And Antigone really pulled out those plot twists Shakespeare style
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced