DATE: produced posthumously in 401, written in 407/6 COMPETITION: unknown CHARACTERS: Oedipus, Antigone, Stranger, Ismene, Theseus, Kreon, Polyneikes, Messenger CHORUS: men of Colonus SETTING: the grove of the Eumenides at Colonus, a village just outside Athens SUMMARY: After many years of wandering the blind and accursed Oedipus and his daughter Antigone arrive at Colonus, near…
Tag: Greek Literature
Philoctetes by Sophocles: Summary & Analysis
DATE: 409 COMPETITION: first prize CHARACTERS: Odysseus, Neoptolemos, Philoctetes, Merchant, Herakles CHORUS: sailors from the ship of Neoptolemos SETTING: the deserted island of Lemnos SUMMARY: The Greeks have been besieging Troy for ten years and discover that they cannot take the city without the presence of Philoctetes and the bow of Herakles. They (especially Odysseus…
Electra by Sophocles: Summary & Analysis
DATE: a matter of great uncertainty, but 418–410 seem most likely. COMPETITION: unknown CHARACTERS: Orestes, Paidagogos, Electra, Chrysothemis, Klytaimestra, Aigisthos; Pylades (silent) CHORUS: women of the palace SETTING: the palace of Agamemnon at Mycenae SUMMARY: Orestes returns home to Mycenae with the faithful tutor (paidagogos), to whom his sister Electra entrusted him after their father’s…
Oedipus Tyrannus/ Oedipus Rex/ Oedipus the King: Summary & Analysis
DATE: before 424 – the plague at the start of the play may reflect the plague that struck Athens early in the War (430–425); most scholars argue for 429 or 427–5. COMPETITION: Sophocles’ presentations finished second to Philokles. CHARACTERS: Oedipus, Priest, Kreon, Teiresias, Jokasta, messenger from Corinth, Theban herdsman, Messenger; Antigone, Ismene (silent) CHORUS: elders…
Sophocles’ Trachinian Women (Trachiniai, Women of Trachis): Summary & Analysis
DATE: unknown – placed as early as 450 or as late as 410; probably late 430s COMPETITION: unknown CHARACTERS: Deianeira, Nurse, Hyllos, Messenger, Lichas, Old Man, Herakles; Iole (silent) CHORUS: women of the city of Trachis SETTING: the city of Trachis (in central Greece) SUMMARY: Because of her beauty, Deianeira, the wife of Herakles, had…
Antigone by Sophocles: Summary & Analysis
DATE: probably 443 or 442, although a case can be made for 438 COMPETITION: won first prize CHARACTERS: Antigone, Ismene, Kreon, Guard, Haimon, Teiresias, First Messenger, Eurydike, Second Messenger CHORUS: elders of Thebes SETTING: the palace at Thebes SYNOPSIS: It is the morning after the Argive army has attacked Thebes and been defeated. Oedipus’ two…
Sophocles’ Ajax: Summary & Analysis
DATE: probably the early 440s COMPETITION: unknown CHARACTERS: Athene, Odysseus, Ajax, Tekmessa, Soldier, Teukros, Menelaos, Agamemnon; Ajax’ son (silent) CHORUS: sailors from the ships of Ajax SETTING: the tent of Ajax, in the Greek camp before Troy SUMMARY: Ajax, a hero of the traditional sort, a man of action and honor, was second only to…
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound (Prometheus Vinctus, Prometheus Desmotes): Summary & Analysis
DATE: unknown, if by Aeschylus late in his career (460–456) COMPETITION: unknown CHARACTERS: Power, Hephaistos, Prometheus, Okeanos, Io, Hermes; Force (silent) CHORUS: daughters of Okeanos SETTING: a crag in the Caucasus mountains, at the eastern end of the earth SUMMARY: In the recent war between the older Titans and the younger Olympian gods, Prometheus (a…
Aeschylus’ Eumenides (Furies): Summary & Analysis
CHARACTERS: The Pythia (priestess of Apollo), Apollo, Orestes, Athena CHORUS(ES): Furies (ancient goddesses of vengeance); Athenian men and women SETTING: the temple of Apollo at Delphi; the Acropolis at Athens; the Hill of War (Areopagos) at Athens SYNOPSIS: The Pythia arrives at Apollo’s temple to find a man with bloody hands (Orestes) inside surrounded by…
Aeschylus’ Libation-Bearers (Choephoroe): Summary & Analysis
CHARACTERS: Orestes, Elektra, Klytaimestra, Nurse, Aigisthos, Attendant, Pylades CHORUS: servant women SETTING: the tomb of Agamemnon; the palace at Argos SUMMARY: Orestes has come home to Argos from exile with his friend Pylades. He makes an offering at the tomb of his father, Agamemnon, and withdraws as a group of women approach. Klytaimestra has had…