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Ajax. Electra. Oedipus Tyrannus

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Ajax. Electra. Oedipus Tyrannus presents three of Sophocles' classic tragedies, translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones. Oedipus Tyrannus recounts the famed tale of Oedipus’s tragic destiny, Ajax explores the depths of heroism wounded by pride, and Electra follows siblings seeking revenge against their mother and her lover for their father’s murder. Each play showcases Sophocles’ mastery of tragic heroes characterised by extraordinary qualities and fatal flaws.
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This volume is ideal for readers interested in classical literature, Greek mythology, and the dramatic arts, as well as students and scholars seeking authoritative translations of Sophocles' tragedies.

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Sophocles (497/6 406 BCE), considered one of the world s greatest poets, forged tragedy from the heroic excess of myth and legend. Seven complete plays are extant, including Oedipus Tyrannus, Ajax, Antigone, and Philoctetes. Among many fragments that also survive is a substantial portion of the satyr drama The Searchers.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Sophocles (497/6–406 BCE), along with Aeschylus and Euripides, was one of the three great tragic poets of Athens, and is considered one of the world's greatest poets. The subjects of his plays were drawn from mythology and legend. Each play contains at least one heroic figure, a character whose strength, courage, or intelligence exceeds the human norm. However, these characters also possess more than ordinary pride and self-assurance, qualities that inevitably lead to a tragic end.

Hugh Lloyd-Jones provides us, in two volumes, with a new translation of the seven surviving plays by Sophocles. Volume I contains Oedipus Tyrannus (which tells the famous Oedipus story), Ajax (a heroic tragedy of wounded self-esteem), and Electra (the story of siblings who seek revenge on their mother and her lover for killing their father). Volume II includes Oedipus at Colonus (the climax of the fallen hero's life), Antigone (a conflict between public authority and an individual woman's conscience), The Women of Trachis (a fatal attempt by Heracles' wife to regain her husband's love), and Philoctetes (Odysseus's intrigue to bring an unwilling hero to the Trojan War).

Of his other plays, only fragments remain. Yet, from these fragments, much can be learned about Sophocles' language and dramatic art. The major fragments, ranging in length from two lines to a very substantial portion of the satyr play The Searchers, are collected in Volume III of this edition. In prefatory notes, Lloyd-Jones provides frameworks for the fragments of known plays.

Series: Loeb Classical Library

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780674995574

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 January 1994

Country: United States

Imprint: LOEB

Contributors:

  • Edited and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones
  • Edited and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 108.0mm

Height: 162.0mm

Weight: 363g

Pages: 496

About the Author

Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones (1922–2009) was Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford University.

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