The Complete Plays

The Complete Plays

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4.22 of 5 stars 4.22  ·  rating details  ·  1,118 ratings  ·  43 reviews
Here in one volume are the full texts of the seven extant plays of the Greek playwright Sophocles, regarded by the Greeks of his time as a kind of "tragic Homer". This collection includes the revised and updated translations by Paul Roche of the Oedipus cycle, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone, as well as all-new translations of Ajax, The Women of Trachis,...more
Paperback, 420 pages
Published March 1st 2001 by New American Library (first published January 1st 1879)
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Greek Mythology
41st out of 164 books — 102 voters
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40th out of 98 books — 14 voters


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Community Reviews

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Rick
Oct 29, 2012 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: drama
Only seven of the 100 or so plays written by Sophocles have survived intact. Less than 10% of his creative output. It’s a ratio that could drive one to distraction—the odds are long that as great or greater plays as the seven survivors were lost.

Better not to dwell on an unimaginable loss and focus on these seven dramas: Ajax, where the fierce warrior, second only to Achilles, is maddened by a god seeking to stop Ajax from slaying Odysseus, Agamemnon, and Menelaus in a rage over a perceived slig...more
Giovaennchen Lozano
Este es otro de los libros que leí en la secundaria. Ahora que lo volví a hojear, me sorprende que nos lo hayan dado en aquel entonces. Con razón me costó trabajo. Son las obras del teatro griego más famosas: Ayax, Electra, Edipo Rey, Edipo en Colono, Antígona, Las Traquinias y Filoctetes. Las más famosas que se han representado son Edipo, Electra, y Antígona. Se supone que através de la tragedia se representaban los sentimientos humanos y habría alguna enseñanza a partir de ahí. Todos los actor...more
Ken Baumann
Reviewing a body of art that has survived for over 2500 years seems naive in its aim: I mean, wouldn't I be disrespectful of the work's hidden logic, its enduring beauties & tragedies, to ding it with a golfball sized spot of critique? I think so. So, even with a play like The Women of Trakhis—my least favorite of Sophocles's surviving plays—I try to withhold judgement and instead look at the play again. It, like all of the plays, is tragic, melodramatic, pained, ironic, funny, witty, musica...more
Christopher H.
I finished this new volume of translations of the seven existing plays by Sophocles last night. I unhesitatingly recommend this new work of the translators, Robert Bagg and James Scully, as they really did an outstanding job of presenting these powerful dramas with lyricism and impact. For your information, I am providing a list of the plays in the collection and the primary translator--
Aias (James Scully)
Women of Trakhis (Robert Bagg)
Philoktetes (James Scully)
Elektra (Robert Bagg)
Oedipus the Ki
...more
David Alexander
I just finised reading all of Sophocles plays, except the 116 plays they have not found or have found only in fragments. There is a moral impulse in Sophocles which strikes me as commendable. The first thing I think of when I consider this aspect of his writings is not, "The savage!" but rather of how he, writing thousands of years ago, shared in common with the best of us moral sentiments we commend and recognize as good. There is a timeless good to certain moral acts of mankind. I would even s...more
Michelle
Antigone by Sophocles
Sophomore English II

I only read the Antigone portion in this compilation.

Antigone was definitely a deep book, about the (short-lived) trials and tribulations of a girl who decides to go against the law in order to follow her beliefs. She does so to save her brother from eternal life as a ghost wandering on Earth (as the Greek beliefs go).

There are many themes involved with this play, some including:
1. In the olden days, no woman would dare speak out and criticize men.
2. So...more
Softymel
Ces tragédies ont beau être antique, elles n'en ont pour autant pas mal vieilli!
Ce n'est pas le cas de tous les auteurs antiques, mais les pièces de Sophocle sont des lectures très agréables, et très facile d’accès. On y retrouve ses personnages de mythologie dont on a tous entendu parler, sans toujours se souvenir de ce qu'ils ont fait. C'est donc une bonne façon de se remémorer ses faits mythologiques qui font parti de notre patrimoine culturelle, tout en passant un agréable moment de lecture...more
Ray
Jan 11, 2012 Ray marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: drama, classic
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Shawn
I gotta tell 'ya, with the right translator, these greek tragedies are actually pretty damn good. Thumbs up for this one.
Although all they are centered around is greek mythology. And too many of the characters are recylcled over and over again from story-to-story and author-to-author.
So they are very well written, but after awhile, not all too much originality.
Phil
Jul 28, 2011 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: drama
I don't think most people ever read anything by Sophocles except the Oedipus cycle, or Oedipus Rex and Antigone without Oedipus at Collunus. But I really like these translations of Sophocles' plays, though I'm not sure how true to the original they are some of the words seem a bit to slangy for me to really believe its an authentic translation from ancient Greek.
Chris
I read the Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb translation. I can't think of anything new to add to the 2500 year old discussion of these plays. They are interesting as history and serve as great example of creating conflict and tragedy without resorting to cartoonish good vs evil.
Luis Diego Camacho Mora
Edipo, Electra, Ajax... todas ellas historias que uno tiene que conocer su transfondo... leerlas completas... y todas ellas con un sufrimiento intenso, con finales tristes... pero han sido parte no solo de la historia literario universal, sino que han ido más allá.
Jessie Moberg
I liked the plays when I first read them in high school, but I got a lot more out of them on the second read once I'd grown up a bit. Worth a second read through when you're old enough to appreciate them.
Peggy
Reread Oedipus Rex and read Oedipus at Colonos for the first time. I read the plays for my bookgroup. This translation was done in the 19th century, so the reading was a little cumbersome. Rereading Oedipus brought me back to my high school days. I loved English class.
James Neophytou
Read 5 of the 7. Rollercoasters each. Profound understanding of human nature. Memorable. Deeply disturbing. Highly enjoyable. Come out of it drained but wiser.
Karen
My husband suggested I read this as I just read 2 other more modern plays. Pretty interesting. I had never read any of these. I just read Antigone. Great plot!
Ed
I read Women of Trachis and Philoktetes, both of which I had no previous knowledge whatsoever. Amazing! Highly recommended. You won't believe they're over 2000 years old!
Anne
Some stories were definitely psycho, but overall I liked it and found it rather interesting.
Summisse
t Considered the greatest of the Greek tragedians, he introduced set design into Greek drama. My favorite line in Trachinian Women:
Deianeira. "It is indeed. And henceforth I would say to everyone: do not act with zeal if you act without light".
Alex
Sep 16, 2011 Alex marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
How freakin' bad do I want this thing? It's the brand new hotness!
Dominic
I haven't read "Oedipus at Colonus" in years, but all three plays are timeless.

I don't believe there is a more human story than "Oedipus Rex." If you haven't felt like Oedipus at Fate's complete and life-shattering mercy, than you certainly will--just wait!

The struggle with one's pride is an eternal struggle. We all want to have complete control over our lives; we all want to feel like we can create our own destinies. Unfortunately Life (a.k.a. the Greek gods) loves to throw curveballs. These p...more
Frenchreader
Tout le monde devrait avoir lu "Les Trachinniennes"!
Derrik
Philoctetes is absolutely incredible. As are the others.
Benjamin Plume
Great ancient works, compild well.
Anna Tiss
little difficult to understand because os the elevated style of writing and the old-english language. The book also has very taboo themes.
Erika
I've read this book several times and it's always different for me. First time I read Oedipus I was in my teens and it moved me incredibly, but now that I'm in my mid twenties I'm not so shocked anymore and I just wanted to get it over with. I think my favorite tragedy gotta be Ajax, even if it enrages me so much how he was treated by the gods and his fellow warriors.
Certainly a book to be read and reread as time moves on.
Sue
Oedipus was not what I had expected---liked those 3 plays the most. Good translation, easy to read.
Cerebro92
La obra de Edipo Rey, que esta incluida dentro de las Tragedias de Sophocles, es una obra, que desde el inicio se torna un poco confusa, aunque puede ser de que les interese, a mi en lo particular me gustó, pero presenta conflictos en los cuales, la mente humana puede llegar a sufrir, por lo que para formación mental sería bueno que lo leyerais.
Icarus
LOVE THIS BOOK!

While I've never been a fan of 'Electra' and a couple of the other ones, I love 'Ajax' as well as all three of the 'Oediphus' writings (particularly 'Antigone'). I love seeing them all in one collection, well translated and easily understood by the modern day reader.
Rosa
Aias - 3 Stars
Women of Trakhis - 5 Stars
Philoktetes - 4 Stars
Elektra - 4 Stars
Oedipus the King - 4 Stars
Oedipus at Kolonos - 5 Stars
Antigone - 5 Stars

A beautiful, simple translation. I only wish more than 7 of Sophocles' 125 plays had survived.
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1002
Sophocles (Greek: Σοφοκλής; German editions: Sophokles) was an ancient Greek tragedy playwright. Not many things are known about his life other than that he was wealthy, well educated and wrote about one hundred and twenty three plays (of which few are extant). One of his best known plays is 'Oedipus the King' (Oedipus Rex).
More about Sophocles...
Oedipus Rex Antigone The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex / Oedipus at Colonus / Antigone Antigone / Oedipus the King / Electra Oedipus at Colonus

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“You, you'll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked on the ones you never should have seen, blind to the ones you longed to see, to know! Blind from this hour on! Blind in the darkness-blind!” 5 people liked it
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