The Seven Plays in English Verse
1906
The Seven Plays in English Verse
1906
Translated by Lewis Campbell
The plays that invented tragedy itself. Sophocles' seven surviving dramas, translated into English verse, pulse with the raw energy of ancient Athens where gods and mortals collide and no one escapes unscathed. Here is Oedipus, the king who discovers too late the horrifying truth of his origins. Here is Antigone, a young woman who defies a king's edict to bury her brother, choosing certain death over silence. Here are Electra, waiting for vengeance, and Ajax, driven to madness and shame. These are not mere historical artifacts but urgent, vibrating dramas about the price of pride, the weight of family loyalty, and the impossible choices that define us. For readers who want to understand where Western literature came from, or who simply want to experience the electric shock of watching a masterpiece unfold, this collection offers the complete canon of a playwright who shaped an entire art form.
About The Seven Plays in English Verse
Chapter Summaries
- 1
- Antigone defies King Creon's edict forbidding the burial of her brother Polynices. Despite warnings from her sister Ismene, she performs the burial rites and is condemned to death, leading to the destruction of Creon's family.
- 2
- Ajax, maddened by Athena after losing Achilles' armor to Odysseus, slaughters cattle thinking they are his enemies. Upon regaining his sanity and realizing his shame, he commits suicide despite pleas from Tecmessa and his sailors.
- 3
- King Oedipus investigates the murder of the previous king Laius to end a plague in Thebes. Through his investigation, he discovers he is the murderer and that Laius was his father and Jocasta his mother. Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus blinds himself.
Key Themes
- Fate vs. Free Will
- Characters struggle against predetermined destinies while making choices that seem to fulfill prophecies. Oedipus cannot escape his fate despite his efforts to avoid it.
- Divine vs. Human Law
- The conflict between religious duty and civil obedience, most clearly shown in Antigone's defiance of Creon's edict to honor divine law.
- Knowledge and Ignorance
- The pursuit of truth often leads to destruction, as seen in Oedipus's relentless quest to discover his identity and Dêanira's fatal misunderstanding.
Characters
- Oedipus(protagonist)
- King of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. A tragic hero whose quest for truth leads to his downfall.
- Antigone(protagonist)
- Daughter of Oedipus who defies King Creon's edict to bury her brother Polynices. Represents divine law over human law.
- Electra(protagonist)
- Daughter of Agamemnon who mourns her father's murder and awaits her brother Orestes' return for vengeance.
- Heracles(protagonist)
- The great hero whose final labor leads to his death through his wife's unwitting poisoning.
- Philoctetes(protagonist)
- Wounded hero abandoned on Lemnos, possessor of Heracles' bow needed to take Troy.
- Ajax(protagonist)
- Great warrior who falls into madness after losing Achilles' armor to Odysseus, ultimately choosing suicide.
