Antigone (Translated by E. H. Plumptre with an Introduction by J. Churton Collins) - Softcover

Sophocles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420953443 ISBN 13: 9781420953442

Publisher: Digireads.com, 2016

Synopsis

“Antigone,” the first Theban play written by Sophocles yet chronologically last in the cycle, is a masterpiece of classical antiquity which examines the conflict between public duty and personal loyalty. Following the banishment of Oedipus, his two sons Eteocles and Polyneices have died leading opposite sides in Thebes’s civil war, fighting each other for the throne. Queen Jocasta’s brother Creon, now the ruler of Thebes, declares that Eteocles will be honored but Polyneices is to be publically shamed by refusing him burial rites. Creon declares that anyone attempting to do so will be put to death. In ancient Greece the refusal of burial rites was one of the most disrespectful acts that could have been shown to a person and their family. Antigone finds herself compelled by familial duty and disregards Creon’s edict by scattering dirt across Polyneices’s corpse. Creon, whose son Haemon is engaged to Antigone, finds himself torn between a personal loyalty to his family and a civic duty to punish Antigone for this crime. One of the greatest dramas from classical antiquity, “Antigone,” along with its Theban counterparts, “Oedipus the King,” and “Oedipus at Colonus,” established Sophocles as one of the most renowned dramatists of his era. This edition follows the translation of E. H. Plumptre, includes an introduction by J. Churton Collins, and is printed on premium acid-free paper.

About this title

About the Author:

Sophocles (c. 496 BCE-406 BCE) was the second of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides. According to the Suda, a 10th century encyclopedia, Sophocles wrote 123 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus.

About this edition

• Publisher: Digireads.com
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1420953443
• ISBN 13: 9781420953442
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 68