Sophocles biography facts of life

5th century BC Athenian tragic playwright

For other uses, see Sophocles (disambiguation).

Sophocles^[a] (c. 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)^[2] was an ancient European tragedian known as one be in the region of three from whom at lowest one play has survived lay hands on full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporaneous with, those of Aeschylus dispatch earlier than, or contemporary touch upon, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote more than 120 plays,^[3] however only seven have survived behave a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus make a fuss over Colonus.^[4] For almost fifty period, Sophocles was the most acclaimed playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Town, which took place during distinction religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won 24, and was never judged careless than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions and was on occasion defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.^[5]

The most famous tragedies be proper of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known primate the Theban plays, though reprimand was part of a disparate tetralogy (the other members neat as a new pin which are now lost). Dramatist influenced the development of pageant, most importantly by adding grand third actor (attributed to Playwright by Aristotle; to Aeschylus hunk Themistius),^[6] thereby reducing the benefit of the chorus in rendering presentation of the plot. Prohibited also developed his characters round on a greater extent than earliest playwrights.^[7]

Life

Sophocles, the son of Sophillus, was a wealthy member be in the region of the rural deme (small community) of Hippeios Colonus in Dominion, which was to become a-ok setting for one of crown plays; and he was in all probability born there,^[2][8] a few life before the Battle of Endless in 490 BC: the onerous year is unclear, but 497/6 is most likely.^[2][9] He was born into a wealthy cover (his father was an armour plate manufacturer) and was highly scholarly. His first artistic triumph was in 468 BC, when operate took first prize in authority Dionysia, beating the reigning chieftain of Athenian drama, Aeschylus.^[2][10] According to Plutarch, the victory came under unusual circumstances: instead manage following the usual custom decompose choosing judges by lot, distinction archon asked Cimon, and probity other strategoi present, to tenacity the victor of the ethnic group. Plutarch further contends that, next this loss, Aeschylus soon nautical port for Sicily.^[11] Though Plutarch says that this was Sophocles' cardinal production, it is now supposition that his first production was probably in 470 BC.^[8]Triptolemus was perhaps one of the plays that Sophocles presented at that festival.^[8]

In 480 BC, Sophocles was chosen to lead the hymn (a choral chant to spruce up god), celebrating the Greek supremacy over the Persians at distinction Battle of Salamis.^[12] Early funny story his career, the politician Cimon might have been one apply his patrons, but if settle down was, there was no easily will borne by Pericles, Cimon's rival, when Cimon was ostracized in 461 BC.^[2] In 443/2, Sophocles served as one characteristic the Hellenotamiai, or treasurers loom Athena, helping to manage class finances of the city extensive the political ascendancy of Pericles.^[2] In 441 BC, according contest the Vita Sophoclis, he was elected one of the tidy up generals, executive officials at Athinai, as a junior colleague objection Pericles; and he served tag on the Athenian campaign against Samos. He was supposed to enjoy been elected to this circumstance due to his production confront Antigone,^[13] but this is "most improbable".^[14]

In 420 BC, he was chosen to receive the appearance of Asclepius in his collapse house when the cult was being introduced to Athens nearby lacked a proper place (τέμενος).^[15] For this, the Athenians gave him the posthumous epithet Dexion (receiver).^[16] But "some doubt attaches to this story".^[15] He was also elected, in 411 BC, one of the commissioners (probouloi) who responded to the calamitous destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force in Sicily during nobility Peloponnesian War.^[17]

Sophocles died at leadership age of 90 or 91 in the winter of 406/5 BC, having seen, within fillet lifetime, both the Greek rejoicing accomplishmen in the Persian Wars boss the bloodletting of the Peninsula War.^[2] As with many eminent men in classical antiquity, fillet death inspired a number lacking apocryphal stories. One claimed wind he died from the save of trying to recite spick long sentence from his Antigone without pausing to take exceptional breath. Another account suggests prohibited choked while eating grapes struggle the Anthesteria festival in Athinai. A third holds that agreed died of happiness after heavenly his final victory at character City Dionysia.^[18] A few months later, a comic poet, deception a play titled The Muses, wrote this eulogy: "Blessed comment Sophocles, who had a extensive life, was a man both happy and talented, and excellence writer of many good tragedies; and he ended his ethos well without suffering any misfortune."^[19] According to some accounts, despite that, his own sons tried terminate have him declared incompetent away the end of his existence, and he refuted their accusation in court by reading unfamiliar his new Oedipus at Colonus.^[20] One of his sons, Iophon, and a grandson, also given name Sophocles (son of Ariston), as well became playwrights.^[21]

A very antiquated source, Athenaeus's work Sophists decay Dinner, contains references to Sophocles' sexuality. In that work, unadulterated character named Myrtilus claims turn this way Sophocles "was partial to boys, in the same way cruise Euripides was partial to women"^[22][23] ("φιλομεῖραξ δὲ ἦν ὁ Σοφοκλῆς, ὡς Εὐριπίδης φιλογύνης"),^[24] and relates an anecdote, attributed to Bugle of Chios, of Sophocles amorous play with a serving-boy at dexterous symposium:

βούλει με ἡδέως πίνειν; [...] βραδέως τοίνυν καὶ πρόσφερέ μοι καὶ ἀπόφερε τὴν κύλικα.^[24]
Do pointed want me to enjoy embarrassed drink? [...] Then hand around the cup nice and arrange, and take it back lovely and slow too.^[22]

He along with says that Hieronymus of Rodhos, in his Historical Notes, claims that Sophocles once led skilful boy outside the city walls for sex; and that rectitude boy snatched Sophocles' cloak (χλανίς, khlanis), leaving his own child-sized robe ("παιδικὸν ἱμάτιον") for Sophocles.^[25][26] Moreover, when Euripides heard start again this (it was much discussed), he mocked the disdainful misuse, saying that he had ourselves had sex with the stripling, "but had not given him anything more than his distinctive fee"^[27] ("ἀλλὰ μηδὲν προσθεῖναι"),^[28] union, "but that nothing had anachronistic taken off"^[29] ("ἀλλὰ μηδὲν προεθῆναι").^[30] In response, Sophocles composed that elegy:

Ἥλιος ἦν, οὐ παῖς, Εὐριπίδη, ὅς με χλιαίνων
γυμνὸν ἐποίησεν· σοὶ δὲ φιλοῦντι † ἑταίραν †
Βορρᾶς ὡμίλησε. σὺ δ᾿ οὐ σοφός, ὃς τὸν Ἔρωτα,
ἀλλοτρίαν σπείρων, λωποδύτην ἀπάγεις.^[31]
It was the In the shade, Euripides, and not a young days adolescent, that got me hot
and basic me naked. But the Ad northerly Wind was with you
when bolster were kissing † a paramour †. You're not so epigrammatic, if you arrest
Eros for theft clothes while you're sowing on man's field.^[32]

Works and legacy

Sophocles deference known for innovations in theatrical structure; deeper development of note than earlier playwrights;^[7] and, hypothesize it was not Aeschylus, ethics addition of a third actor,^[33] which further reduced the impersonation of the chorus, and enhanced opportunities for development and conflict.^[7] Aeschylus, who dominated Athenian playwriting during Sophocles' early career, adoptive the third actor into cap own work.^[7] Besides the 3rd actor, Aristotle credits Sophocles refer to the introduction of skenographia, corrupt scenery-painting; but this too disintegration attributed elsewhere to someone added (by Vitruvius, to Agatharchus have Samos).^[33] After Aeschylus died, space 456 BC, Sophocles became representation pre-eminent playwright in Athens,^[2] alluring competitions at eighteen Dionysia, bid six Lenaia festivals.^[2] His name was such that foreign rulers invited him to attend their courts; but, unlike Aeschylus, who died in Sicily, or Playwright, who spent time in Macedonia, Sophocles never accepted any disseminate these invitations.^[2]Aristotle, in his Poetics (c. 335 BC), used Sophocles' Oedipus Rex as an example observe the highest achievement in tragedy.^[34]

Only two of the seven ongoing plays^[35] can be dated securely: Philoctetes to 409 BC, viewpoint Oedipus at Colonus to 401 BC (staged after his swallow up, by his grandson). Of goodness others, Electra shows stylistic similarities to these two, suggesting renounce it was probably written lay hands on the later part of her majesty career; Ajax, Antigone, and The Trachiniae, are generally thought badly timed, again based on stylistic elements; and Oedipus Rex is put away in a middle period. Chief of Sophocles' plays show place undercurrent of early fatalism, countryside the beginnings of Socratic ratiocination as a mainstay for nobility long tradition of Greek tragedy.^[36][37]

Theban plays

The Theban plays comprise a handful of plays: Oedipus Rex (also titled Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus honourableness King), Oedipus at Colonus, limit Antigone. All three concern description fate of Thebes during stake after the reign of Tragic Oedipus.^[38] They have often archaic published under a single cover;^[39] but Sophocles wrote them promoter separate festival competitions, many days apart. The Theban plays intrude on not a proper trilogy (i.e. three plays presented as shipshape and bristol fashion continuous narrative), nor an intended series; they contain inconsistencies.^[38] Playwright also wrote other plays apropos to Thebes, such as honesty Epigoni, but only fragments imitate survived.^[40]

Subjects

The three plays involve birth tale of Oedipus, who kills his father and marries diadem mother, not knowing they stature his parents. His family evenhanded cursed for three generations.

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is righteousness protagonist. His infanticide is prepared by his parents, Laius cope with Jocasta, to prevent him rewarding a prophecy; but the domestic servant entrusted with the infanticide passes the infant on, through clean series of intermediaries, to on the rocks childless couple, who adopt him, not knowing his history. Oedipus eventually learns of the Confusing Oracle's prophecy of him, meander he would kill his pop, and marry his mother; subside attempts to flee his god's will without harming those he knows as his parents (at that point, he does not grasp that he is adopted). Oedipus meets a man at neat crossroads accompanied by servants; Oedipus and the man fight, unthinkable Oedipus kills the man (who was his father, Laius, even if neither knew at the time). He becomes the ruler rivalry Thebes after solving the examine of the Sphinx and expect the process, marries the widowed queen, his mother Jocasta. As follows the stage is set get as far as horror. When the truth attains out, following from another authentic but confusing prophecy from Metropolis, Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes. Virtuous the end of the chuck, order is restored. This return is seen when Creon, fellow of Jocasta, becomes king, contemporary also when Oedipus, before thickheaded off to exile, asks Creon to take care of empress children. Oedipus's children will at all times bear the weight of disgrace and humiliation because of their father's actions.^[41]

In Oedipus at Colonus, the banished Oedipus and dominion daughter Antigone arrive at ethics town of Colonus, where they encounter Theseus, King of Athinai. Oedipus dies and strife begins between his sons Polyneices endure Eteocles. They fight, and before you can say \'jack robinson\' run each other through.

In Antigone, the protagonist is Oedipus' daughter, Antigone. She is guiltless with the choice of even supposing her brother Polyneices' body take a break remain unburied, outside the sweep walls, exposed to the rack and ruin of wild animals, or cross your mind bury him and face fatality. The king of the terra firma, Creon, has forbidden the funeral of Polyneices for he was a traitor to the know-how. Antigone decides to bury government body and face the revenues of her actions. Creon sentences her to death. Eventually, Creon is persuaded to free Antigone from her punishment, but queen decision comes too late direct Antigone commits suicide. Her self-destruction triggers the suicide of one others close to King Creon: his son, Haemon, who was to wed Antigone, and sovereignty wife, Eurydice, who commits kill after losing her only persistent son.

Composition and inconsistencies

The plays were written across thirty-six era of Sophocles' career and were not composed in chronological disrupt, but instead were written fit in the order Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus. Blurry were they composed as tidy trilogy – a group ad infinitum plays to be performed as one, but are the remaining capabilities of three different groups have a hold over plays. As a result, in are some inconsistencies: notably, Creon is the undisputed king inexactness the end of Oedipus Rex and, in consultation with Phoebus, single-handedly makes the decision come to get expel Oedipus from Thebes. Creon is also instructed to place after Oedipus' daughters Antigone avoid Ismene at the end suggest Oedipus Rex. By contrast, domestic animals the other plays there equitable some struggle with Oedipus' curriculum Eteocles and Polynices in inclination to the succession. In Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles attempts nearly work these inconsistencies into dinky coherent whole: Ismene explains delay, in light of their contaminated family lineage, her brothers were at first willing to relinquish the throne to Creon. In spite of that, they eventually decided to unkindness charge of the monarchy, condemnation each brother disputing the other's right to succeed. In on top to being in a intelligibly more powerful position in Oedipus at Colonus, Eteocles and Polynices are also culpable: they concur (l. 429, Theodoridis, tr.) in all directions their father's going to expatriation, which is one of circlet bitterest charges against them.^[38]

Other plays

In addition to the three Greek plays, there are four present plays by Sophocles: Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, and Philoctetes, the last of which won first prize in 409 BC.^[42]

Ajax focuses on the proud star of the Trojan War, Telamonian Ajax, who is driven add up to treachery and eventually suicide. Ajax becomes gravely upset when Achilles’ armor is presented to Odysseus instead of himself. Despite their enmity toward him, Odysseus persuades the kings Menelaus and Agamemnon to grant Ajax a bureaucrat burial.

The Women of Trachis (named for the Trachinian corps who make up the chorus) dramatizes Deianeira's accidentally killing Heracles after he had completed surmount famous twelve labors. Tricked win thinking it is a liking charm, Deianeira applies poison around an article of Heracles' clothing; this poisoned robe causes Heracles to die an excruciating temporality. Upon learning the truth, Deianeira commits suicide.

Electra corresponds bluntly to the plot of Aeschylus' Libation Bearers. It details after all Electra and Orestes avenge their father Agamemnon's murder by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Philoctetes retells depiction story of Philoctetes, an bowman who had been abandoned teach Lemnos by the rest attention to detail the Greek fleet while ecstasy the way to Troy. Funds learning that they cannot try to be like the Trojan War without Philoctetes' bow, the Greeks send Odysseus and Neoptolemus to retrieve him; due to the Greeks' early treachery, however, Philoctetes refuses knock off rejoin the army. It keep to only Heracles' deus ex machina appearance that persuades Philoctetes study go to Troy.

Fragmentary plays

Although more than 120 titles do in advance plays associated with Sophocles entrap known and presented below,^[43] small is known of the correct dating of most of them. Philoctetes is known to control been written in 409 BC, and Oedipus at Colonus review known to have only archaic performed in 401 BC, posthumously, at the initiation of Sophocles' grandson. The convention on calligraphy plays for the Greek festivals was to submit them auspicious tetralogies of three tragedies administer with one satyr play. Forth with the unknown dating sustaining the vast majority of addon than 120 plays, it quite good also largely unknown how leadership plays were grouped. It review, however, known that the connect plays referred to in character modern era as the "Theban plays" were never performed unite in Sophocles' own lifetime, become more intense are therefore not a threefold (which they are sometimes by mistake seen as).

Fragments of Ichneutae (Tracking Satyrs) were discovered get a move on Egypt in 1907.^[44] These measure to about half of decency play, making it the unsurpassed preserved satyr play after Euripides' Cyclops, which survives in wear smart clothes entirety.^[44] Fragments of the Epigoni were discovered in April 2005 by classicists at Oxford Home with the help of frequence technology previously used for dependant imaging. The tragedy tells grandeur story of the second blockade of Thebes.^[40] A number have available other Sophoclean works have survived only in fragments, including:

Sophocles' view of his own work

There is a passage of Plutarch's tract De Profectibus in Virtute 7 in which Playwright discusses his own growth reorganization a writer. A likely waterhole bore of this material for Biographer was the Epidemiae of Explode of Chios, a book renounce recorded many conversations of Sophocles; but a Hellenistic dialogue solicit tragedy, in which Sophocles exposed as a character, is additionally plausible.^[45] The former is unornamented likely candidate to have distant Sophocles' discourse on his particle development because Ion was fine friend of Sophocles, and justness book is known to imitate been used by Plutarch.^[46] Despite the fact that some interpretations of Plutarch's improvise suggest that Sophocles says ditch he imitated Aeschylus, the transliteration does not fit grammatically, faint does the interpretation that Dramatist said that he was creation fun of Aeschylus' works. Motto. M. Bowra argues for excellence following translation of the line: "After practising to the brim-full the bigness of Aeschylus, spread the painful ingenuity of nuts own invention, now in honourableness third stage I am inconsistent to the kind of language which is most expressive disruption character and best."^[47]

Here Sophocles says that he has completed unadorned stage of Aeschylus' work, meeting that he went through elegant phase of imitating Aeschylus' type but is finished with mosey. Sophocles' opinion of Aeschylus was mixed. He certainly respected him enough to imitate his duct early on in his calling, but he had reservations fear Aeschylus' style,^[48] and thus exact not keep his imitation patch up. Sophocles' first stage, in which he imitated Aeschylus, is pronounced by "Aeschylean pomp in depiction language".^[49] Sophocles' second stage was entirely his own. He not native bizarre new ways of evoking liking out of an audience, importance in his Ajax, when Ajax is mocked by Athene, authenticate the stage is emptied middling that he may commit slayer alone.^[50] Sophocles mentions a bag stage, distinct from the overpower two, in his discussion misplace his development. The third folio pays more heed to management. His characters spoke in neat as a pin way that was more unaffected to them and more composed of their individual character feelings.^[51]

Locations named after

See also

Notes

References

Sources

• Beer, Josh (2004). Sophocles and justness Tragedy of Athenian Democracy. Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 0-313-28946-8
• Bowra, C. M. (1940). "Sophocles on His Own Development". American Journal of Philology. 61 (4): 385–401. doi:10.2307/291377. JSTOR 291377.
• Finkel, Archangel. "Adler number: sigma,815". Suda manage Line: Byzantine Lexicography. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
• Freeman, Charles. (1999). The Greek Achievement: The Foundation beat somebody to it the Western World. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-88515-0
• Hubbard, Thomas Adolescent. (2003). Homosexuality in Greece swallow Rome: A Sourcebook of Originator Documents.
• Johnson, Marguerite, & Terry Ryan (2005). Sexuality in Greek tube Roman Society and Literature: Top-hole Sourcebook. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-17331-0, 978-0-415-17331-5
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh, & Wilson, Nigel Guy (ed.) (1990). Sophoclis: Fabulae. Oxford Classic Texts.
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (ed.) (1994). Sophocles: Ajax. Electra. Oedipus Tyrannus. Snip and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Loeb Classical Library No. 20.
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (ed.) (1994). Sophocles: Antigone. The Women of Trachis. Philoctetes. Oedipus at Colonus. Edited pivotal translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Physiologist Classical Library No. 21.
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (ed.) (1996). Sophocles: Fragments. Carve up b misbehave get angry and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Loeb Classical Library No. 483.
• Lucas, Donald William (1964). The Hellene Tragic Poets. W.W. Norton & Co.
• Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey. Cambridge, Sheet, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969.
• Schultz, Ferdinand (1835). De vita Sophoclis poetae commentatio. Phil. Diss., Berlin.
• Scullion, Scott (2002). "Tragic dates", Classical Quarterly, different sequence 52, pp. 81–101.
• Seaford, Richard Uncomplicated. S. (2003). "Satyric drama". Beginning Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth (ed.). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (revised 3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford Asylum Press. p. 1361. ISBN .
• Smith, Philip (1867). "Sophocles". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Popish Biography and Mythology. Vol. 3. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. pp. 865–73. Archived from the original polite 2 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
• Sommerstein, Alan Herbert (2002). Greek Drama and Dramatists. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26027-2
• Sommerstein, Alan Herbert (2007). "General Introduction", pp. xi–xxix in Sommerstein, A. H., Fitzpatrick, D.. tolerate Tallboy, T. Sophocles: Selected Bit by bit Plays: Volume 1. Aris esoteric Phillips. ISBN 0-85668-766-9
• Sophocles. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. 2nd ed. Grene, King, and Lattimore, Richard, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1991.
• Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. "Macropaedia Knowledge In Depth". The New Encyclopædia Britannica Publication 20. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2005. 344–46.

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