Sophocles, The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone (Paperback)

by Sophocles (Author), Dudley Fitts (Translator), Robert Fitzgerald (Translator) "My children, generations of the living..." (more)
Key Phrases: May God

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
English versions of Sophocles’ three great tragedies based on the myth of Oedipus, translated for a modern audience by two gifted poets. Index.

About the Author
Dudley Fitts (1903-1968), a renowned poet, critic and translator, authored and translated over 20 books. One of the preeminent twentieth century scholars of Greek literature, his English translations of the ancient Greek classics are much praised for their accessibility and their appeal to contemporary readers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015602764X
• ISBN-13: 978-0156027649
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,268 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and moving piece!, October 16, 2002

By	Jennifer "reader" - See all my reviews

~I had to read OEDIPUS REX for my pre-IB sophomore English class, feeling not too happy with another dull, lengthy Greek play (we had to read THE ODYSSEY last year, and it got really redundant). But Sophocles' play...wow, it's totally different! The characters are so much more real and the speeches are deep and engrossing. Thebes is fascinating, substantial - and the issues grip you unknowingly. ...When you finally resurface, you feel touched and bewildered at the same time!

Throughout~~ THE OEDIPUS CYCLE run themes of fate and visions of free will amid reality. These elements reveal the universal truth: of human blindness to fate and truth; their blind resolutions that, in reality, lead them to their fate. Tragedy is forged between a character~{!/~}s personality and the inevitable events connected to it. Although the doctrine of predestination rejects independent will, OEDIPUS REX succeeds in explaining the coexistence, in which action is subordinate to destiny through~~ ignorance. ~{!0~}I was blind and now I can tell why: asleep for you had given ease of breath to Thebes while the false years went by."

THE OEDIPUS CYCLE beautifully fits Aristotle's definition of tragedies, being~{!0~}a casual, inevitable sequence of events connected intimately with the personality of the tragic character." Even if your English class doesn't require you to pick up this title, I highly recommend that you do. Being a translation, the language is very clear and reading~~ is direct. But the subject is still full - and full of revelation! It is so amazing, you have to experience it for yourself! I ended up reading all 3 plays of the cycle and they are all very different but I would think that OEDIPUS REX is the strongest one. It catches the reader the best, being more action-filled than the rest. OEDIPUS AT COLONUS is a more of character reflections and analyzing, which are heartfelt for both character and reader. ANTIGONE concludes the story with a good~~ feminist view of the affair by Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus. Her play is a mix of physical and mental action and reaction.~

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but very, very good, March 9, 2007

By	Jordan M. Poss (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This version of Sophocles's Oedipus trilogy--Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone--is a great edition for students and seasoned classicists alike. The translations by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald are modern while still being poetic, and complete while still being very, very fast-paced. For instance, I read Antigone in about forty minutes, and I'm a slow reader.

Fitts and Fitzgerald have sacrificed some accuracy and literalness to achieve their extraordinary pacing and readability, but while their translations are not always true to the original text, they more than make up for it with the sheer power which which they grab the reader. I had read Oedipus Rex before, but I had never felt it like this. The plays come alive for the reader. The tragic end of Oedipus Rex was particularly moving.

This edition includes some notes and commentary, but the works stand well on their own, without the comments of a later generation. Overall, though, the briskness and modern sound of these plays make this one of the best translations available to students today.

Highly recommended.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Oedipus anyone can read., December 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sophocles, The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone (Paperback)

This is a very readable rendition of Sophocles' famous tragedies, by two of this century's most distinguished classicists and translators. My only caution: I would not recommend this translation to anyone trying to muddle through the Greek. As Fitzgerald readily admits, he has emphasized general meaning, conciseness and readability over strict adherence to the text, paraphrasing the original where he feels it's appropriate. I'm usually wary of this approach, but in this case I feel it makes the plays more accessible to the general reader, and more performable, than they would otherwise be. The end result is a lively and true homage to a great playwright whose ideas have shaped modern literature, drama, and psycology.