Oedipus the King
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Paperback
Published: 1st April 2008
Paperback
Published: 24th October 1972
Paperback, Enriched Classic
Published: 15th May 2007
Paperback
Published: 13th November 2012
Publishing Details
Oedipus the King
By (Author) Sophocles
Edited by Dr Angie Varakis
Translated by Don Taylor
Introduction by Dr Angie Varakis
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Methuen Drama
1st April 2008
United Kingdom
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Literary studies: plays and playwrights
Ancient, classical and medieval texts
882.01
Physical Properties
Paperback
128
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 8mm
118g
Description
Since it was first performed in Athens in the 420s BC, Oedipus the King has been widely regarded as Sophocles' greatest tragedy and one of the foundation stones of western drama. Taken as a model by Aristotle in his Poetics, it became a yardstick for future generations. Since the play's rediscovery in the Renaissance, audiences - including Sigmund Freud - have found new interpretations and meanings in Sophocles' portrayal of the Theban king, inexorably pursuing the truth, only to discover that he has killed his father and married his mother.
This translation by Don Taylor, accurate yet poetic, was made for a BBC TV production of the Theban Plays in 1986, which he also directed. Commentary and notes by Angie Varakis.
Author Bio
Sophocles (496-406 BC) lived through the greater part of the long struggle with Sparta and died a few months after Euripides. He is credited with developing the tragic form and his surviving tragedies are masterpieces of construction. Methuen Drama publishes two volumes of his plays.
