Sophocles I: Second Edition

The Theban Plays – Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone

Extended Synopsis

Sophocles I: Second Edition is a cornerstone volume of the Complete Greek Tragedies series, published by the University of Chicago Press. This edition features the definitive modern translations of the "Theban Cycle," which explores the tragic arc of King Oedipus and his children. The collection includes Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone, translated by David Grene and Elizabeth Wyckoff under the editorial guidance of Grene and Richmond Lattimore.

Renowned for stripping away the "affectedly poetic" language of Victorian-era translations, this edition presents the Greek tragedies in a contemporary, supple English idiom that remains faithful to the rhythm and intensity of the original verse. This 1991 second edition preserves the scholarly rigor while offering a functional, living text that is equally suited for silent reading, academic analysis, or theatrical performance. It captures the profound philosophical themes of fate, civic duty, and the limits of human knowledge with unparalleled clarity.

Included Works:

• Oedipus the King: The quintessential tragedy of discovery and inescapable fate.
• Oedipus at Colonus: The contemplative final chapter of Oedipus’s life, focusing on redemption and sacred ground.
• Antigone: A powerful exploration of the conflict between individual conscience and the laws of the state.

Reader Targeting

This volume is the primary choice for university students and scholars of Classics who require an authoritative, academically vetted text. It is also an essential resource for dramaturgs and directors looking for performable scripts that resonate with modern audiences, and for general readers seeking to experience the foundations of Western literature in a clear, compelling format.

Accolades & Critical Praise

"These authoritative translations consign all other complete collections to the wastebasket."

— Robert Brustein, The New Republic

"This is it. No qualifications. Go out and buy it everybody."

— Kenneth Rexroth, The Nation

"The translations deliberately avoid the highly wrought and affectedly poetic; their idiom is contemporary....They have life and speed and suppleness of phrase."

— Times Education Supplement

"Richmond Lattimore is that rara avis in our age, the classical scholar who is at the same time an accomplished poet."

— Dudley Fitts, New York Times Book Review

About the Editors & Translators

David Grene (1913–2002) was a legendary Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago and a co-founder of the Committee on Social Thought. He was widely regarded as one of the most brilliant translators of Greek drama into the English language.

Richmond Lattimore (1906–1984) was a distinguished poet and professor of Greek at Bryn Mawr College. His translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are considered benchmarks of 20th-century scholarship, blending his technical mastery of the Greek language with a refined poetic sensibility.

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