These are the 7 fully surviving plays of a 5th c.BC Athens playwright (he wrote over 120 plays in his lifetime; two of the seven plays can be dated to a certain year), dramas which still can feel quite shocking (and after reading these, I can confirm this). Wikipedia gives some other plays that survive in fragments.Each play has its own introduction, and at the end of the book are notes about plays, which make some things clearer, and perhaps even more interesting. The introduction talks about t...

Aias - 3 Stars Women of Trakhis - 5 Stars Philoktetes - 4 StarsElektra - 4 Stars Oedipus the King - 4 Stars Oedipus at Kolonos - 5 Stars Antigone - 5 StarsA beautiful, simple translation. I only wish more than 7 of Sophocles' 125 plays had survived.

An excellent modern translation of the works of Sophocles which emphasizes vernacular and eschews grandiose phrasing. While I personally prefer the more florid prose of traditional translations, this version does emphasize the timeless qualities of Sophocles' great works.

Contains all the classics of Sophocles. Best ones: Antigone, Oidipoes, Electra.

This was my first true foray in Classical Greek literature (D.W.'s version of The Odyssey in Arthur not withstanding). I had seen a production of Antigone in high school, and Greek mythology is not exactly foreign to me, but I'd never read any original works of the time.While at first this translation seemed a little too modern to me, I soon grew to enjoy it; it was very easy to understand, and I was able to go through the plays quickly. Due to their somewhat depressing nature I only read one pl...

It is never a bad time to get right with the classics. After having read Oedipus and Antigone several times in multiple translations (Jebb, Arnott, Fagles) over the years, I decided to read all of Sophocles’s extant plays—a mere seven out of 123 (civilization is fragile; don’t let anyone tell you differently). I am here reading the version by poet and translator Paul Roche for Signet Classics. According to Wikipedia, Roche was a second-generation Bloomsberrie, enemy to Vanessa Bell and lover of

Aristotle thought Sophocles the best of the Greek tragedians, and Oedipus the King the perfect tragedy. Sophocles wrote complicated, powerful plays - seven of them have survived, out of 120. He wrote about outcasts. My favorite, Antigone, is about fighting the power, and so are Elektra and Philoktetes. Robert Bagg and James Scully run down his common themes in their intro to this complete edition:- Sympathy for fate's victims- Hostility towards tyrants- Skepticism toward self-indulgent "heroes"-...

There's not much I can say about this collection that won't sound like hyperbole but, the fact is, it's all kind of true. What you see in these works is, in many cases, the early seeds of some of the greatest storytelling devices ever conceived by the minds of men. Much like how the Bible (or as Eddie Izzard would say the Biblee) is a cornerstone of the West in such a way as to partly explain our language(s), culture(s), beliefs, so to with these texts we find the Grecian mother to our Biblical

Updated Review: I deleted the blog where my reviews were originally posted, but I'm doing a project where I'm discussing each of the surviving Greek plays in a Youtube video (at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheatreofPhil). I'll be rereading these plays as I move through making the videos, and I'll write new reviews here.You can watch my overview video about Sophocles here: https://youtu.be/9gR36rauWkAAjax: For me, there are two main ways to read Ajax. The first, more traditional way, is as a tale o...

Worth reading at some point to get a taste of Greek tragedy. It will provide some context to future western literature (and other forms of media) which is still heavily influenced by it. I would say that reading all of the plays in one go was a bit tiresome. At some point the plays become predictable and even a bit boring. This may be in part because of the translation process to English and I don't believe Sophocles himself would expect or wanted people to consume his plays in this way.

The Scully plays, though scarce, were much more powerful translations. Aias was beautiful. Women of Trakhis (see: Robert fucking Bagg) was awful, in my opinion. Bagg did redeem himself with Antigone, however. Somewhat. If you squint hard enough. In all seriousness, Antigone was nicely treated. Overall, I enjoyed these plays - albeit because Trakhis was brief.

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...

5/5 Stars (%100/100)Includes all 7 of Sophocles's surviving works. Instead of adding all of them separately, I've decided to add this one only. (Same as Shakespeare) I've read all of these plays multiple times. I only added Turkish editions of the plays separately. Great compilation of plays, definitely recommended.

I like these translations.

Briefly, since it's all been said:Five stars for the plays. They set up convincing tensions and navigate them in moving and brilliant ways.Three stars for the translation. I compared the language with several other translations, and I found Bagg's and Scully's interpretations consistently felt less earthy and musical. That might be part of their intent, and it might be true to the original text (I have no way of knowing), but on the page, it felt a little flat to me.

What a brilliant collection, and now that I’ve read Sophocles’ entire oeuvre, I consider him one of my favorite playwrightsPhiloctetes is one of the most brilliant portraits of pain, physical and emotional pain. And Odysseus, who appeared as the commonsensical counterpart to the sons of Atreus in Ajax (a superb portrait of heroic madness in the face of perceived insult), is here the deceptive schemer. Thinking now of Philoctetes, I am surprised by how singular The Odyssey’s multifaceted and most...

Very good edition by A. C. Pearson. This volume contains the Greek text of the surviving seven tragedies by Sophocles with critical apparatus, and an introduction. The title, introduction and notes of the critical apparatus are written in Latin, as it is customary in this Oxford scholarly editions.

I don't usually read theatre, I don't know any ancient Greek or Latin. I picked this up pretty much at random, and was amazed at how engaging the plays were. It's essential general culture; it is the foundation of western civilization as much as the Bible is; but unlike the Bible, the writing is beautiful and it's incredibly accessible. Pick it up!

This was an easy read for me. Paul Roche seems to go out of his way to make this translation digestible and understand able. Moreover, he illustrates elements that continue to be common place in Greek people today. My Mother in law is Greek and shows many of the same speech patterns, infinitesimal care of others, and attitudes. Except for Antigone. Of these plays, Antigone is my absolute favorite. How interesting that Antigone, while the third and final portion of the Oedipal cycle, was the firs...

I would not remember much of this book for my life,but if I could to carry with me these two quotes I would like."I rate the man as nothing worth who feels the glow of idle hopes." - Ajax"How then could royalty be sweeter for me to have than painless rule and influence? Not yet am I so misguided as to desire other honors than those which profit." - Creon