Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus (Duckworth Companions to Greek & Roman Tragedy) [Paperback]

Adrian Kelly (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0715637134 | ISBN-13: 978-0715637135 | Publication Date: December 24, 2009

In his final play, Sophocles returned to the ever-popular character of Oedipus, the blind outcast of Thebes, the ultimate symbol of human reversal, whose fall he had so memorably treated in the Oedipus Tyrannus. In this play, Sophocles brings the aged Oedipus to Athens, where he seeks succour and finds refuge, despite the threatening arrival of Kreon, the new king of Thebes. Oedipus' fierce character is in no way dimmed by his incapacity, and he refuses to aid his repentant son, Polyneices, in his coming attack on Thebes, in a way which manifests once more the old man's passionate temper. His mysterious sacral death at the end of the play, witnessed only by Theseus himself, seems to be the only fitting end for such an exceptional figure, for it transforms Oedipus into one of the 'powerful dead' whose beneficence towards Athens heralds a positive future for the city.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adrian Kelly is Tutorial Fellow in Ancient Greek Literature, Balliol College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Duckworth Publishers (December 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715637134
• ISBN-13: 978-0715637135
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,018,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars ffering an in-depth study of the play and its meanings for society, March 15, 2010

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus (Duckworth Companions to Greek & Roman Tragedy) (Paperback)

Like modern authors, ancient playwrights used characters again and again as their tales continued to tell a story. "Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus" is the final play of Sophocles, as Adrian Kelly provides another Duckworth Companion to the tragedies of Ancient Greece and Rome. Offering an in-depth study of the play and its meanings for society, "Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus" is a choice pick for any literary studies collections focusing on the classical word of theatre and stories.