Other editions of book The Three Theban Plays: Antigone - Oedipus the King - Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus at Colonus is one of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. It was written shortly before Sophocles' death in 406 BC and produced by his grandson (also called Sophocles) at the Festival of Dionysus in 401 BC. In the timeline of the plays, the events of Oedipus at Colonus occur after Oedipus the King and before Antigone; however, it was the last of Sophocles' three Theban plays to be written. The play describes the end of Oedipus' tragic life. Legends differ as to the site of Oedipus' death; Sophocles set the place at Colonus, a village near Athens and also Sophocles' own birthplace, where the blinded Oedipus has come with his daughters Antigone and Ismene as suppliants of the Erinyes and of Theseus, the king of Athens.

One of the most famous poets from classical antiquity, Sophocles was one of three important ancient Greek tragedians, the others being Aeschylus and Euripides. Writing during the 5th century BC, Sophocles created some one hundred and twenty three plays during his lifetime, of which only seven have survived in their entirety. In this edition are included the three so-called Theban plays, as translated by Francis Storr, which are widely considered his most important works. These works include "Antigone" the story of its title character, a strong heroine whose complete commitment to familial duty brings her to challenge the will of her king; "Oedipus the King", the legend of Oedipus who is exiled as an infant by his royal father because of a prophesy of patricide and incest; and "Oedipus at Colonus", a drama which finds Oedipus at the end of his life caught between the warring kings of Athens and Thebes who each desire that Oedipus' final resting place be in their respective lands. These classic tragedies are essential reading and their influence on modern literature and drama is a profound one.

Comprised of three plays in the Theban saga (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone) this collection tells of the tragic exploits of Oedipus the king of Thebes, and his daughter Antigone. In Oedipus the King (also known by its Latin title Oedipus Rex) the young Oedipus hears a prophecy from the Oracle at Delphi that he will "Mate with [his] own mother, and shed/With [his] own hands the blood of [his] own sire". Terrified of the prediction, he flees whom he thinks to be his biological parents, only to unwittingly encounter - and kill - his biological father, King Laius, setting in motion the events that will see the Delphic prophecy fulfilled. In Oedipus at Colonus we witness Oedipus as an old man, ostracised and distrusted by society at large for his earlier misdeeds. Blind, he Oedipus is led by his daughter/sister Antigone to meet with King Theseus, with whom he wishes to speak prior to dying. The play culminates in Oedipus' death, and eventual judgment by the Gods themselves for his terrible sins of patricide and incest. Antigone sees Oedipus daughter navigate the drama of a Civil War in Thebes, engaging and vying with the present king Creon. Portrayed as a heroine with much faith for her family, Antigone's steels her resolve in a time of upheaval and tragic conflict ensuing between the aristocracy of Thebes. This superb edition of Sophocles' classic Oedipus Trilogy brings out the original spirit and intensity of all three plays, encapsulated by the translation of F. Storr.

Oedipus at Colonus is one of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. In the timeline of the plays, the events of Oedipus at Colonus occur after Oedipus the King and before Antigone. The play describes the end of Oedipus’ tragic life. Legends differ as to the site of Oedipus' death; Sophocles set the place at Colonus, a village near Athens and also Sophocles' own birthplace, where the blinded Oedipus has come with his daughters Antigone and Ismene as suppliants of the Erinyes and of Theseus, the king of Athens.