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Oedipus King of Thebes

by Sophocles

Pages: 95

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About this book

King Oedipus, determined to save his plague-stricken city, hunts down the murderer of the former king—only to uncover, step by devastating step, that the guilty man is himself, and that he has unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Sophocles's tragedy unfolds with relentless, almost unbearable irony toward its shattering climax. For over two thousand years it has stood as the supreme example of Greek drama and the model of tragic form, praised by Aristotle and mined by Freud. A profound exploration of fate, knowledge, and human blindness, it remains one of the most powerful plays ever written.

About the author

Sophocles

Sophocles (c. 497-406 BC) was one of the three great tragic playwrights of ancient Athens. Of his many plays, seven survive, including the Theban plays centered on Oedipus and Antigone.