The Oedipus Trilogy - Softcover

Comprised of three plays in the Theban saga (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone) this collection tells of the tragic exploits of Oedipus the king of Thebes, and his daughter Antigone.

In Oedipus the King (also known by its Latin title Oedipus Rex) the young Oedipus hears a prophecy from the Oracle at Delphi that he will "Mate with [his] own mother, and shed/With [his] own hands the blood of [his] own sire". Terrified of the prediction, he flees whom he thinks to be his biological parents, only to unwittingly encounter - and kill - his biological father, King Laius, setting in motion the events that will see the Delphic prophecy fulfilled.

In Oedipus at Colonus we witness Oedipus as an old man, ostracised and distrusted by society at large for his earlier misdeeds. Blind, he Oedipus is led by his daughter/sister Antigone to meet with King Theseus, with whom he wishes to speak prior to dying. The play culminates in Oedipus' death, and eventual judgment by the Gods themselves for his terrible sins of patricide and incest.

Antigone sees Oedipus daughter navigate the drama of a Civil War in Thebes, engaging and vying with the present king Creon. Portrayed as a heroine with much faith for her family, Antigone's steels her resolve in a time of upheaval and tragic conflict ensuing between the aristocracy of Thebes.

This superb edition of Sophocles' classic Oedipus Trilogy brings out the original spirit and intensity of all three plays, encapsulated by the translation of F. Storr.