From the Bookshelf of Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)…

Oedipus Rex (The Theban Plays, #1)

Sophocles

Start date: August 1, 2022

Finish date: August 31, 2022

Discussion: Short Story/Novella Collection

Why we're reading this: August 2022 Short Story/Novella
[close] August 2022 Short Story/Novella

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 118 topics — 7,489 comments total

Short Story/Novella Collection

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Short Story Classics
By Bob , Short Story Classics · 1 post · 704 views

last updated Sep 01, 2015 05:35AM

Lois the Witch - August 2025
By Bob , Short Story Classics · 29 posts · 73 views

last updated Sep 01, 2025 03:10PM

showing 10 of 31 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 26, 2017 Melanti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, audiobook, play

I read this back in college and liked the story but found the prose rather dreary - no surprise, since I had the Lattimore translation and I find him a bit tedious, in general.

The audio edition of Ian Johnston's translation is a breeze to listen to in comparison. It's still in verse, but seems very modern and extremely accessible. Out of curiosity, I grabbed my old copy of Lattimore's translation and tried to follow along and had a fair amount of difficulty. It's all there, more or less, but at ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2011 Ellen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic

I believe Shakespeare looked to this particular play for many of the ideas he had incorporated in his own plays. Oedipal complex is a given, but I'm sure he got the idea to manipulate characters like Othello and Macbeth through language like the way the soothsayer entices Oedipus on until he eventually learns the truth. I'm not saying the soothsayer meant to have Oedipus learn the truth, I don't think that, but Shakespeare may have thought that was a clever way to bring Oedipus to his ruin.

But ...more

Like · see review