{"product_id":"the-theban-plays-king-oedipus-oedipus-at-colonus-antigone-paperback","title":"The Theban Plays: King Oedipus; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSophocles\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eE. F. Watling\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eE. F. Watling\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'O Light  May I never look on you again, \u003cbr\u003e Revealed as I am, sinful in my begetting, \u003cbr\u003e Sinful in marriage, sinful in shedding of blood '\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes inspired Sophocles (496-406 BC) to create a powerful trilogy of mankind's struggle against fate. \u003cb\u003eKing Oedipus\u003c\/b\u003e tells of a man who brings pestilence to Thebes for crimes he does not realise he has committed, and then inflicts a brutal punishment upon himself. With profound insights into the human condition, it is a devastating portrayal of a ruler brought down by his own oath. \u003cb\u003eOedipus at Colonus\u003c\/b\u003e provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the aged and blinded king, while \u003cb\u003eAntigone\u003c\/b\u003e depicts the fall of the next generation, through the conflict between a young woman ruled by her conscience and a king too confident in his own authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eE. F. Watling's masterful translation is accompanied by an introduction, which examines the central themes of the plays, the role of the Chorus, and the traditions and staging of Greek tragedy. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSophocles\u003c\/b\u003e was born at Colonus, just outside Athens, in 496 BC, and lived ninety years. His long life spanned the rise and decline of the Athenian Empire; he was a friend of Pericles, and though not an active politician he held several public offices, both military and civil. The leader of a literary circle and friend of Herodotus, he was interested in poetic theory as well as practice, and he wrote a prose treatise \u003cb\u003eOn the Chorus\u003c\/b\u003e. He seems to have been content to spend all his life at Athens, and is said to have refused several invitations to royal courts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSophocles first won a prize for tragic drama in 468, defeating the veteran Aeschylus. He wrote over a hundred plays for the Athenian theater, and is said to have come first in twenty-four contests. Only seven of his tragedies are now extant, these being \u003cb\u003eAjax\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eAntigone\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eOedipus the King\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eWomen of Trachis\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eElectra\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ePhiloctetes\u003c\/b\u003e, and the posthumous \u003cb\u003eOedipus at Colonus\u003c\/b\u003e. A substantial part of \u003cb\u003eThe Searches\u003c\/b\u003e, a satyr play, was recovered from papyri in Egypt in modern times. Fragments of other plays remain, showing that he drew on a wide range of themes; he also introduced the innovation of a third actor in his tragedies. He died in 406 BC. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eE.F. Watling\u003c\/b\u003e was educated at Christ's Hospital and University College, Oxford. His translations of Greek and Roman plays for the Penguin Classics include the seven plays of Sophocles, nine plays of Plautus, and a selection of the tragedies of Seneca.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 176\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.44 x 7.74 x 5.09 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 30, 1950\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51753840771360,"sku":"9780140440034","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/cb0922c24b1a96a0ecc3a068aa4f4327.webp?v=1780028216","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-theban-plays-king-oedipus-oedipus-at-colonus-antigone-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}