Oedipus at Colonus (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

by Sophocles (Author), Sir George Young (Translator)

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Product Description
Part of the trilogy that includes Oedipus Rex and Antigone, this drama of classical antiquity represents the great Athenian playwright’s crowning achievement in depicting the painful quest for truth and self-knowledge that results in the triumph of the spirit. Blamed for the discord within his former kingdom and banished by its citizens, Oedipus wanders for years in lonely exile until he finds a haven in a sacred olive grove at Colonus. Unabridged republication of the Sir George Young translation.


Language Notes
Text: English, Greek (translation) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (February 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486406598
• ISBN-13: 978-0486406596
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,310,787 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jebb was a great scholar, brilliant editor, February 13, 2000

By	Jamey Hecht "www.jameyhecht.com" (Brooklyn, NY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Oedipus at Colonus (Paperback)

Who knows what Jebb's edition of "Colonus" is really like? Nobody who hopes to learn from the above descriptions, since the first one is about Arnott's version (which, whatever its merits, is NOT Jebb's) and the rest are about no edition or translation in particular. You'd think Greek Tragedy was written in English. I adore amazon.com, but their utter failure to list Greek classics properly is one of their few really serious mistakes, and it goes on year after year.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Sequel to "Oedipus Rex", May 22, 2000

By	Sean Ares Hirsch (Swan Lake, New York) - See all my reviews

Many people make the mistake of only reading part 1 of this trilogy. In my opinion, it is a horrible mistake to ignore parts 2 and 3. The blind Oedipus is touchingly lead by his daughter. (I can not help but suspect this inspired the relationship between Edgar and Gloucester in Shakespeare's "King Lear.") It is also in this play that we see Creon is not exactly an outstanding citizen. He seemed nice enough in part 1, but once he has Oedipus' power, he is somewhat of a tyrant. It is also in part 2 that we are able to get a closer look at Oedipus. (REMEMBER, HE DID NOT KNOW HE HAD KILLED HIS FATHER, MARRIED HIS MOTHER, AND HAD CHILDREN WITH HIS MOTHER.) It is in this play that we see the human side of Oedipus. I can not overestimate the beauty of the scene where "seemingly sighted" he enters the Greek Version of heaven. Again remember, the story does not end here. You MUST read "Antigone" (Part 3).

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sophocles' final play and the idea suffering is redemptive, October 18, 2002

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Oedipus at Colonus (Paperback)

In Homer's "Iliad" the one reference to Oedipus suggests he ruled in Thebes until he was killed in battle. However, in the more famous version of the tale, told by Sophocles in his classic Greek tragedy "Oedipus the King," Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes. In "Oedipus at Colonus" Sophocles tells of the final fate of the exiled figure. Colonus is a village outside Athens, where the blind, old man has become a benevolent source of defense to the land that has given him his final refuge.

"Oedipus at Colonus was produced posthumously in 401 B.C.E., and the legend is that it was used by Sophocles as his defense against the charge of senility brought by his children. In terms of its lack of dramatic structure (the scenes are connected by the character of Oedipus rather than by the loosely constructed plot) and the melancholy of its lyric odes it is the most atypical of the extant plays of Sophocles. "Oedipus at Colonus" is the most poetic of his plays while being the least dramatic as well. But it is the characterization of Oedipus as a noble figure that stands out. This is still the same proud and hot-tempered figure who vowed to solve the reason for the curse on Thebes in the earlier play. But this is also an Oedipus who has accepted his punishment, even though he insists that he is innocent. After all, the sin responsible for his exile was really that of his mother; if you read "Oedipus the King" carefully you will see that the incestuous part of the prophecy was added by the Oracle after Jocasta tried to have her infant son killed in order to save her husband's life. Consequently, when Oedipus claims to be a helpless victim of destiny, there is ample reason to agree with his interpretation of events.

The fact that this was the last play written by Sophocles offers a line of analysis for understanding "Oedipus at Colonus" as well. You can read in certain lyrics, such as the first "staismon" with its ode to Colonus and the characterization of King Theseus of Athens, the playwright's praise for the democratic institutions and proud history of Athens. On a more psychological level you can consider the play as articulating Sophocles' views on death. These other considerations tend to reduce the importance of the title character, but there is the compelling argument of the play that through his personal suffering Oedipus has been purified.