sophocles

     

Sophocles or Sofokles (pronounce /ˈsɒfəkliːz/; ancient Greek Σοφοκλῆς, pronounced [sopʰoklɛ̂ːs]; circa. 496 BC - 406 BC) was the second of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived to the present day. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than those of Euripides. According to the Suda, a 10th century encyclopedia, Sophocles wrote 120 or more plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form, namely Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most-awarded playwright in the dramatic competitions of ancient Athens that took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. Sophocles competed in around thirty drama competitions; he won perhaps twenty four and never received lower than second place. Aeschylus won fourteen competitions and was defeated by Sophocles at times. Euripides won only four competitions.

Trivia about sophocles

  • This playwright died in 406 B.C., so he never saw his famous tragedy at Colonus produced
  • Appropriately, the name of this dramatist comes from Greek words meaning "wise" & "famous"
  • Though many plays were written about Oedipus, those by this man are our main source for the story
  • He was almost 90 when he wrote one of his greatest plays, "Oedipus at Colonus"
  • This "Antigone" author starred in his own play "Nausikaa" but later gave up acting
  • "Oedipus At Colonus", his sequel to "Oedipus Rex", unfolds near a grave of the Furies
  • Aristotle said this man's "Oedipus Rex" was the greatest play ever; lucky it was one of his few to survive in full
  • English scholar Thomas Watson is best known today for his 1581 translation of "Antigone" by this Ancient Greek
  • Up next, entertainment reporter Klakos has a review of this tragedy master's new play, "Oedipus Rex"
  • He wrote more than 120 plays, but only 7 complete ones survive, including "Oedipus Rex" & "Oedipus at Colonus"
  • This "Electra"fying playwright gets the credit for adding a third actor to Greek tragedies
  • (Cheryl of the Clue Crew stands in the the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, Greece.) In 401 B.C. here at the Theatre of Dionysus, this man won a posthumous first prize for his play "Oedipus at Colonus"