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    Oedipus at Kolonos: A New Translation
    Oedipus at Kolonos: A New Translation
    Oedipus at Kolonos: A New Translation
    Ebook177 pages1 hour

    Oedipus at Kolonos: A New Translation

    By Sophocles

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Among the most celebrated plays of ancient Athens, Oedipus at Kolonos is one of seven surviving dramas by the great Greek playwright, Sophocles, now available from Harper Perennial in a vivid and dynamic new translation by award-winning poet Robert Bagg. Oedipus at Kolonos continues the story of Thebes’s tragic, now-blinded hero in the last days of his life, as he attempts to answer for his shocking crimes of incest and patricide, and seeks forgiveness before his impending death. This is Sophocles, vibrant and alive, for a new generation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 7, 2012
    ISBN9780062132116
    Oedipus at Kolonos: A New Translation
    Author

    Sophocles

    Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than or contemporary with those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides.

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    Reviews for Oedipus at Kolonos

    3.5/5

    183 ratings10 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This play is not as interesting as the others in the Oedipus cycle. It concerns the period immediately preceding Antigone, and is very talky, with many of the long speeches adding little to the information or entertainment value. The play would be a total wash for anyone not familiar with Oedipus the King or the myth in general; though it does discuss the tragedy, it doesn't fulfill expectations in any way. Primarily interesting as a piece of theatrical history.
    • 3/5
      A straightforward romp, the second in The Oedipus Cycle, detailing the journey-- both internal and external, that Oedipus makes. It was entertaining and there were many good passages and lines to behold. Nevertheless, it came off as a little basic but that might be part of its charm.3 stars!
    • 3/5
      Fall 2018, Teacher Read:

      My Seniors are doing Oedipus, and my Sophomores are doing Antigone, and it seemed fitting that I should read the whole Theban Trilogy again since my daily life is half-immersed within it currently. I, honestly, couldn't remember if I had to read this one in college or not.

      I know I didn't read it before then, and so I decided to read the middle play this year. As Oedipus falls, Theseus and Oedipus's son rise, while his daughters take a slowly greater role. I can't help laughing a little that Oedipus' death is off screen and basically a 'miracle we can not speak of.'
    • 4/5
      Many incredible moments and speeches in this play - not at least the last final "farewell" from Oedipus
    • 3/5
      This is Sophocles' last written play, though the second in his Theban plays sequence. It chronicles Oedipus and Antigone's exile, though it is very heavy on chorus and monologue. I found it interesting as a set of ideas, but not so much as a play.
    • 1/5
      I understand that this trilogy is a classic, and has stood for over two thousand years. There are some real questions proposed by Oedipus and Theseus that are worth thinking about. However, Sophocles' work seems to ramble on - carried by frequent dialogue from 'the Chorus.' This reduces the effectiveness of the message, and makes it hard to follow in general. A reliance upon the mass protestations of the public (the Chorus) seems like an easy way to push plot along without developing characters, in my opinion.
    • 2/5
      This play is not as interesting as the others in the Oedipus cycle. It concerns the period immediately preceding Antigone, and is very talky, with many of the long speeches adding little to the information or entertainment value. The play would be a total wash for anyone not familiar with Oedipus the King or the myth in general; though it does discuss the tragedy, it doesn't fulfill expectations in any way. Primarily interesting as a piece of theatrical history.
    • 3/5
      Perhaps 3½ stars for the play but not in this translation. Storrs translated the ancient Greek as if he was trying to write like an Elizabethan. I have enough trouble understanding the Elizabethans when their native tongue was English!I don't think that this play is as good (strong, powerful) as the other two Oedipus plays. However, this middle play of Sophocles' trilogy provides an important bridge between the more powerful first (Oedipus Rex) and last (Antigone) plays. It concludes the action of Oedipus Rex and sets the scene for the action in Antigone. Those two can of course stand on their own, but this play does flesh out the overarching story.
    • 5/5
      As enchanting and vivid as Oidipous Tyrannos and I'm tempted to say I like it even better if only because it ends with a vision of peace, or at least of Oedipus finding peace while all around him slides into war. I was impressed with his little rationalizations over the years--he has learned the humility of the outcast, and yet he's still gone from seeing how his parricide at the crossroads was a result of hubris to telling himself it was self-defence so long he believes it. I liked how Creon's arc went from superficially principled at the start of the first play, organically, to bad dude by the end of this one. And the sweetness of the daughters that had barely known a time when their father wasn't a monster, that had just known no other way to love him, as compared to the sons who never got over losing dickhead dad to sick humiliation and turned into bastards themselves. There are a lot of great character arcs that emerge across the two plays that wouldn't be evident from this one alone--Theseus's being the only exception, although he's good too; I'm not sure quite how the play made him seem legit wise and not some instructive cardboard of the good hero king--and that's why it's such a shame that they're separate works, each less than the whole of which they make up the parts. The Aristotelian unities seem increasingly unmotivated, arbitrary, artificial.
    • 4/5
      This is the second (in logical order) play in the Oedipus trilogy (actually, each play stands by itself) about a doomed family. This play is much about the journey through life and its end. The Oxford Press edition is a highly readable translation with helpful notes and glossary.

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    Oedipus at Kolonos - Sophocles

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