Friday, April 27, 2007

5. The Theban Plays (Sophocles)

Oedipus at Colonus

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
The legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes inspired Sophocles (496-406 BC) to create a powerful trilogy about mankind's struggle against fate. "King Oedipus" tells of a man who brings pestilence to Thebes for crimes he does not realize he has committed and who then inflicts a brutal punishment upon himself. With profound insights into the human condition, it is a devastating portrayal of a ruler brought down by his own oath. "Oedipus at Colonus" provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the aged and blinded king, while "Antigone" depicts the fall of the next generation, through the conflict between a young woman rules by her conscience and a king too confident of his own authority.

My rating: 5 stars

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