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Antigone

Brief Description
Sophocles’ great tragic play dramatises the clash between family and the city and, through high poetry and deep tragedy, presents an irreconcilable but equally balanced conflict. The Sophoclean heroine Antigone has become a cultural archetype — the personification of personal integrity and political freedom. The play... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A Student Edition of Sophocles' classic play in Don Taylor's translation, which looks at the clash between family and the city and has at its centre one of the greatest heroines of Greek tragedy.

A Student Edition of Sophocles' classic play in Don Taylor's translation, which looks at the clash between family and the city and has at its centre one of the greatest heroines of Greek tragedy.

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’ great tragic play dramatises the clash between family and the city and, through high poetry and deep tragedy, presents an irreconcilable but equally balanced conflict.

The Sophoclean heroine Antigone has become a cultural archetype — the personification of personal integrity and political freedom. The play has been staged and adapted numerous times over the centuries.

It is published here in Don Taylor’s classic translation with commentary and notes by David Bullen. The commentary examines the original performance conditions that would have shaped the impact of Antigone in 441 BCE. It also explores key choices made by the translator, key ideas in the play taken up by philosophers such as Hegel and Butler, and more recent translations and adaptations by the likes of Bertolt Brecht, Anne Carson, Moira Buffini, Kamila Shamsie, and Inua Ellams.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350510425

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 August 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Edition: 2nd edition

Contributors:

  • Translated by Don Taylor
  • Volume editor David Bullen

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 87g

Pages: 112

About the Author

Sophocles (c. 496 - 406 BCE) was one of the three great tragic playwrights of ancient Greece, along with Aeschylus and Euripides. He wrote 123 plays during a career of 60 years and was still writing at the age of 90. Only seven of his tragedies survive in their entirety.

David Bullen is a lecturer in drama and theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. His research interests centre on myth, adaptation, feminist and queer theatre practice, and eco-dramaturgies. He is the author of Greek Tragedy in 21st Century British Theatre.

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