Sophocles
A Very Short Introduction
Published on 27. February 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-19-289780-0 (ISBN)
Description
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring
This Very Short Introduction introduces the life, work, and influence of one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Sophocles the Athenian.
Placing his plays within their historical context, and explaining the conventions of ancient Greek tragic theatre, Edith Hall spotlights their distinctive features-tight plots, titanic personalities, lucid style, sympathetic women, exquisite poetry, and stagecraft. This analysis is followed by an account of how and why Sophoclean dramas have survived to be read and widely performed into the twenty-first century.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This Very Short Introduction introduces the life, work, and influence of one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Sophocles the Athenian.
Placing his plays within their historical context, and explaining the conventions of ancient Greek tragic theatre, Edith Hall spotlights their distinctive features-tight plots, titanic personalities, lucid style, sympathetic women, exquisite poetry, and stagecraft. This analysis is followed by an account of how and why Sophoclean dramas have survived to be read and widely performed into the twenty-first century.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 172 mm
Width: 109 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
150 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-289780-0 (9780192897800)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2025
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Edith Hall is Chair in Classics at Durham University since 2022. She previously held posts at the Universities of Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Royal Holloway, and King's College London. She has published more than thirty books, broadcasts regularly on the BBC, and acts as consultant to professional theatres including the National Theatre, the Old Vic, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She leads a campaign to increase access to classical subjects within state education. She has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the Universities of Athens and Durham, the Erasmus Medal of the European Academy, and Honorary Citizenship of Palermo.
Content
List of Illustrations
Map
1: Sophocles' Life
2: Sophoclean Tragedy
3: The Limits of Freewill: Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone
4: Athenian Mythmaking: Ajax and Oedipus at Colonus
5: Retribution and Rage: Electra and Philoctetes
6: Sex, Settings & Soundscapes: Women of Trachis and Trackers
7: Sophocles' Afterlives
Further Reading
Map
1: Sophocles' Life
2: Sophoclean Tragedy
3: The Limits of Freewill: Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone
4: Athenian Mythmaking: Ajax and Oedipus at Colonus
5: Retribution and Rage: Electra and Philoctetes
6: Sex, Settings & Soundscapes: Women of Trachis and Trackers
7: Sophocles' Afterlives
Further Reading