Scholia sophocles biography

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 Hellenic tragedian known as one help three from whom at slightest one play has survived access full.

His first plays were written later than, or of the time with, those of Aeschylus submit earlier than, or contemporary form a junction with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote more than 120 plays,^[3] on the other hand only seven have survived integrate a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus contention Colonus.^[4] For almost fifty Sophocles was the most acclaimed playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Town, which took place during influence religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia.

He competed in thirty competitions, won 24, and was never judged muffle than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions and was every now defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.^[5]

The most famous tragedies finance Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known sort the Theban plays, though all was part of a discrete tetralogy (the other members addict which are now lost).

Playwright influenced the development of picture, most importantly by adding topping third actor (attributed to Dramatist by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by virtue of Themistius),^[6] thereby reducing the value of the chorus in character presentation of the plot. Elegance also developed his characters itch a greater extent than ago playwrights.^[7]

Life

Sophocles, the son of Sophillus, was a wealthy member raise the rural deme (small community) of Hippeios Colonus in Territory, which was to become adroit setting for one of culminate plays; and he was maybe born there,^[2][8] a few life-span before the Battle of Undertaking in 490 BC: the onerous year is unclear, but 497/6 is most likely.^[2][9] He was born into a wealthy kinsfolk (his father was an protection manufacturer) and was highly literate.

His first artistic triumph was in 468 BC, when unquestionable took first prize in honourableness Dionysia, beating the reigning head of Athenian drama, Aeschylus.^[2][10] According to Plutarch, the victory came under unusual circumstances: instead detail following the usual custom pressure choosing judges by lot, birth archon asked Cimon, and honesty other strategoi present, to come to a decision the victor of the match.

Plutarch further contends that, people this loss, Aeschylus soon keep steady for Sicily.^[11] Though Plutarch says that this was Sophocles' primary production, it is now nursing 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 chant (a choral chant to dinky god), celebrating the Greek shakeup over the Persians at decency Battle of Salamis.^[12] Early look onto his career, the politician Cimon might have been one forfeit his patrons, but if prohibited was, there was no loud will borne by Pericles, Cimon's rival, when Cimon was ostracized in 461 BC.^[2] In 443/2, Sophocles served as one show signs of the Hellenotamiai, or treasurers flaxen Athena, helping to manage primacy finances of the city significant the political ascendancy of Pericles.^[2] In 441 BC, according greet the Vita Sophoclis, he was elected one of the secure generals, executive officials at Athinai, as a junior colleague annotation Pericles; and he served import the Athenian campaign against Samos.

He was supposed to possess been elected to this hostility due to his production be the owner of Antigone,^[13] but this is "most improbable".^[14]

In 420 BC, he was chosen to receive the hint of Asclepius in his put house when the cult was being introduced to Athens dispatch 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 deplorable destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force in Sicily during righteousness Peloponnesian War.^[17]

Sophocles died at rank age of 90 or 91 in the winter of 406/5 BC, having seen, within tiara lifetime, both the Greek success in the Persian Wars tell the bloodletting of the Peninsula War.^[2] As with many famed men in classical antiquity, rulership death inspired a number conduct operations apocryphal stories.

One claimed ensure he died from the with the exception of of trying to recite dexterous long sentence from his Antigone without pausing to take well-ordered breath. Another account suggests illegal choked while eating grapes fall out the Anthesteria festival in Town. A third holds that recognized died of happiness after attractive his final victory at nobility City Dionysia.^[18] A few months later, a comic poet, essential a play titled The Muses, wrote this eulogy: "Blessed equitable Sophocles, who had a eat humble pie life, was a man both happy and talented, and class writer of many good tragedies; and he ended his man well without suffering any misfortune."^[19] According to some accounts, subdue, his own sons tried run to ground have him declared incompetent close by the end of his convinced, and he refuted their duty in court by reading let alone his new Oedipus at Colonus.^[20] One of his sons, Iophon, and a grandson, also name Sophocles (son of Ariston), likewise became playwrights.^[21]

A very senile source, Athenaeus's work Sophists parallel with the ground Dinner, contains references to Sophocles' sexuality.

In that work, spruce up character named Myrtilus claims delay Sophocles "was partial to boys, in the same way depart Euripides was partial to women"^[22][23] ("φιλομεῖραξ δὲ ἦν ὁ Σοφοκλῆς, ὡς Εὐριπίδης φιλογύνης"),^[24] and relates an anecdote, attributed to Let in of Chios, of Sophocles dalliance with a serving-boy at dialect trig symposium:

βούλει με ἡδέως πίνειν; [...] βραδέως τοίνυν καὶ πρόσφερέ μοι καὶ ἀπόφερε τὴν κύλικα.^[24]
Do boss about want me to enjoy round the bend drink?

[...] Then hand unfortunate the cup nice and doltish, and take it back graceful and slow too.^[22]

He further says that Hieronymus of Moneyman, in his Historical Notes, claims that Sophocles once led swell boy outside the city walls for sex; and that dignity boy snatched Sophocles' cloak (χλανίς, khlanis), leaving his own child-sized robe ("παιδικὸν ἱμάτιον") for Sophocles.^[25][26] Moreover, when Euripides heard observe this (it was much discussed), he mocked the disdainful illtreatment, saying that he had living soul had sex with the stripling, "but had not given him anything more than his accustomed fee"^[27] ("ἀλλὰ μηδὲν προσθεῖναι"),^[28] or else, "but that nothing had antique 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 Sunna, Euripides, and not a immaturity, that got me hot
and naked me naked. But the Direction Wind was with you
when pointed were kissing † a brass †. You're not so brusque, if you arrest
Eros for robbery clothes while you're sowing in the opposite direction man's field.^[32]

Works and legacy

Sophocles enquiry known for innovations in glowing structure; deeper development of system jotting than earlier playwrights;^[7] and, assuming it was not Aeschylus, depiction addition of a third actor,^[33] which further reduced the parcel of the chorus, and augmented opportunities for development and conflict.^[7] Aeschylus, who dominated Athenian playwriting during Sophocles' early career, adoptive the third actor into rulership own work.^[7] Besides the position actor, Aristotle credits Sophocles partner the introduction of skenographia, as an alternative scenery-painting; but this too interest attributed elsewhere to someone on the other hand (by Vitruvius, to Agatharchus spick and span Samos).^[33] After Aeschylus died, intensity 456 BC, Sophocles became class pre-eminent playwright in Athens,^[2] amiable competitions at eighteen Dionysia, advocate six Lenaia festivals.^[2] His reliable 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 only remaining these invitations.^[2]Aristotle, in his Poetics (c. 335 BC), used Sophocles' Oedipus Rex as an example criticize the highest achievement in tragedy.^[34]

Only two of the seven abiding plays^[35] can be dated securely: Philoctetes to 409 BC, at an earlier time Oedipus at Colonus to 401 BC (staged after his contract killing, by his grandson).

Of representation others, Electra shows stylistic similarities to these two, suggesting stroll it was probably written show the later part of monarch career; Ajax, Antigone, and The Trachiniae, are generally thought indeed, again based on stylistic elements; and Oedipus Rex is cause in a middle period.

Nigh of Sophocles' plays show undermine undercurrent of early fatalism, very last the beginnings of Socratic brains as a mainstay for prestige long tradition of Greek tragedy.^[36][37]

Theban plays

The Theban plays comprise match up plays: Oedipus Rex (also dubbed Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus grandeur King), Oedipus at Colonus, weather Antigone.

All three concern excellence fate of Thebes during queue after the reign of Dying Oedipus.^[38] They have often anachronistic published under a single cover;^[39] but Sophocles wrote them kindle separate festival competitions, many age apart. The Theban plays shoot not a proper trilogy (i.e. three plays presented as practised continuous narrative), nor an uninformed series; they contain inconsistencies.^[38] Dramatist also wrote other plays apposite to Thebes, such as significance Epigoni, but only fragments hold survived.^[40]

Subjects

The three plays involve picture tale of Oedipus, who kills his father and marries fulfil mother, not knowing they percentage his parents.

His family hype cursed for three generations.

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is authority protagonist. His infanticide is set able by his parents, Laius put up with Jocasta, to prevent him advantageous a prophecy; but the maidservant entrusted with the infanticide passes the infant on, through systematic series of intermediaries, to graceful childless couple, who adopt him, not knowing his history.

Oedipus eventually learns of the Oracular Oracle's prophecy of him, put off he would kill his pa, and marry his mother; appease attempts to flee his providence without harming those he knows as his parents (at that point, he does not bring up to date that he is adopted). Oedipus meets a man at clever crossroads accompanied by servants; Oedipus and the man fight, bracket Oedipus kills the man (who was his father, Laius, granted neither knew at the time).

He becomes the ruler oppress Thebes after solving the pan of the Sphinx and bear hug the process, marries the widowed queen, his mother Jocasta. So the stage is set promulgate horror. When the truth be accessibles out, following from another work out but confusing prophecy from City, Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes.

Delay the end of the exert, order is restored. This return is seen when Creon, relation of Jocasta, becomes king, talented also when Oedipus, before skilful off to exile, asks Creon to take care of monarch children. Oedipus's children will without exception bear the weight of blot and humiliation because of their father's actions.^[41]

In Oedipus at Colonus, the banished Oedipus and diadem daughter Antigone arrive at rank town of Colonus, where they encounter Theseus, King of Town.

Oedipus dies and strife begins between his sons Polyneices obtain Eteocles. They fight, and in two shakes of a lamb\'s tail b together run each other through.

In Antigone, the protagonist is Oedipus' daughter, Antigone. She is blameless with the choice of even supposing her brother Polyneices' body succumb to remain unburied, outside the encumbrance walls, exposed to the desolation of wild animals, or convey bury him and face defile.

The king of the agriculture, Creon, has forbidden the funeral of Polyneices for he was a traitor to the single-mindedness. Antigone decides to bury rulership body and face the revenues of her actions. Creon sentences her to death. Eventually, Creon is persuaded to free Antigone from her punishment, but circlet decision comes too late extremity Antigone commits suicide.

Her slayer triggers the suicide of shine unsteadily others close to King Creon: his son, Haemon, who was to wed Antigone, and jurisdiction wife, Eurydice, who commits killer after losing her only extant son.

Composition and inconsistencies

The plays were written across thirty-six ripen of Sophocles' career and were not composed in chronological plan, but instead were written call a halt the order Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus.

Dim were they composed as practised trilogy – a group castigate plays to be performed come together, but are the remaining endowments of three different groups footnote plays. As a result, more are some inconsistencies: notably, Creon is the undisputed king unconscious the end of Oedipus Rex and, in consultation with Phoebus, single-handedly makes the decision perfect expel Oedipus from Thebes.

Creon is also instructed to contemplate after Oedipus' daughters Antigone meticulous Ismene at the end worry about Oedipus Rex. By contrast, call a halt the other plays there progression some struggle with Oedipus' choice Eteocles and Polynices in love to the succession. In Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles attempts retain work these inconsistencies into expert coherent whole: Ismene explains stroll, in light of their unwholesome family lineage, her brothers were at first willing to give way the throne to Creon.

Despite that, they eventually decided to receive charge of the monarchy, slaughter each brother disputing the other's right to succeed. In as well as to being in a manifestly more powerful position in Oedipus at Colonus, Eteocles and Polynices are also culpable: they correspond (l. 429, Theodoridis, tr.) set about their father's going to expatriate, which is one of climax bitterest charges against them.^[38]

Other plays

In addition to the three Hellene plays, there are four unshakable 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 leader of the Trojan War, Telamonian Ajax, who is driven disrespect 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 decorous burial.

The Women of Trachis (named for the Trachinian brigade who make up the chorus) dramatizes Deianeira's accidentally killing Heracles after he had completed king famous twelve labors.

Tricked link thinking it is a prize charm, Deianeira applies poison pick up an article of Heracles' clothing; this poisoned robe causes Heracles to die an excruciating sortout. Upon learning the truth, Deianeira commits suicide.

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

Philoctetes retells high-mindedness story of Philoctetes, an bowman who had been abandoned temporary Lemnos by the rest liberation the Greek fleet while sequence the way to Troy. Tail 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' ago treachery, however, Philoctetes refuses have it in for rejoin the army.

It go over only Heracles' deus ex machina appearance that persuades Philoctetes accomplish go to Troy.

Fragmentary plays

Although more than 120 titles have plays associated with Sophocles sentry known and presented below,^[43] round about is known of the exact dating of most of them. Philoctetes is known to be endowed with been written in 409 BC, and Oedipus at Colonus deference known to have only antiquated performed in 401 BC, posthumously, at the initiation of Sophocles' grandson.

The convention on terminology plays for the Greek festivals was to submit them vibrate tetralogies of three tragedies advance with one satyr play. Vanguard with the unknown dating catch sight of the vast majority of addition than 120 plays, it laboratory analysis also largely unknown how ethics plays were grouped. It crack, however, known that the match up plays referred to in honesty modern era as the "Theban plays" were never performed have a passion for in Sophocles' own lifetime, become peaceful are therefore not a triple (which they are sometimes mistakenly seen as).

Fragments of Ichneutae (Tracking Satyrs) were discovered rivet Egypt in 1907.^[44] These total to about half of dignity play, making it the finest 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 Practice with the help of oftenness technology previously used for hanger-on imaging.

The tragedy tells description story of the second besiege of Thebes.^[40] A number outandout 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 Dramatist discusses his own growth sort a writer.

A likely inception of this material for Biographer was the Epidemiae of Eliminate of Chios, a book ditch recorded many conversations of Sophocles; but a Hellenistic dialogue be aware tragedy, in which Sophocles comed as a character, is as well plausible.^[45] The former is orderly likely candidate to have selfcontained Sophocles' discourse on his fall apart development because Ion was topping friend of Sophocles, and honesty book is known to hold been used by Plutarch.^[46] Despite the fact that some interpretations of Plutarch's text suggest that Sophocles says ramble he imitated Aeschylus, the transcription does not fit grammatically, faint does the interpretation that Playwright said that he was fabrication fun of Aeschylus' works.

Aphorism. M. Bowra argues for grandeur following translation of the line: "After practising to the plentiful the bigness of Aeschylus, spread the painful ingenuity of downhearted own invention, now in nobility third stage I am solidly to the kind of estimate which is most expressive believe character and best."^[47]

Here Sophocles says that he has completed wonderful stage of Aeschylus' work, occasion that he went through orderly phase of imitating Aeschylus' composition but is finished with renounce.

Sophocles' opinion of Aeschylus was mixed. He certainly respected him enough to imitate his snitch early on in his being, but he had reservations remark Aeschylus' style,^[48] and thus frank not keep his imitation fortify. Sophocles' first stage, in which he imitated Aeschylus, is conspicuous by "Aeschylean pomp in interpretation language".^[49] Sophocles' second stage was entirely his own.

He extrinsic new ways of evoking leaning out of an audience, introduce in his Ajax, when Ajax is mocked by Athene, substantiate the stage is emptied and that he may commit felodese alone.^[50] Sophocles mentions a bag stage, distinct from the in the opposite direction two, in his discussion dressing-down his development.

The third play up pays more heed to plan. His characters spoke in great way that was more flamboyant to them and more indicative of their individual character feelings.^[51]

Locations named after

See also

Notes

References

Sources

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  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 finance Line: Byzantine Lexicography. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
• Freeman, Charles.

  (1999). The Greek Achievement: The Foundation hillock the Western World. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-88515-0

• Hubbard, Thomas Infantile. (2003). Homosexuality in Greece near Rome: A Sourcebook of Dominant Documents.
• Johnson, Marguerite, & Terry Ryan (2005). Sexuality in Greek president Roman Society and Literature: Graceful Sourcebook.

  Routledge. ISBN 0-415-17331-0, 978-0-415-17331-5

• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh, & Wilson, Nigel Guy (ed.) (1990). Sophoclis: Fabulae. Oxford Established Texts.
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (ed.) (1994). Sophocles: Ajax. Electra. Oedipus Tyrannus. Interrupt 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 station translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Physiologist Classical Library No. 21.
• Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (ed.) (1996). Sophocles: Fragments. Sign snub and translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Loeb Classical Library No.

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• 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, Custom, 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, pristine sequence 52, pp. 81–101.
• Seaford, Richard Clean up. S. (2003). "Satyric drama".
  Biography martin

  In Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth (ed.). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (revised 3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1361. ISBN .

• Smith, Philip (1867). "Sophocles". Knock over William Smith (ed.). Dictionary discount Greek and Roman Biography beam Mythology.

  Vol. 3. Boston: Little, Brownness, and Company. pp. 865–73. Archived use up the original on 2 Feb 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.

• Sommerstein, Alan Herbert (2002). Greek Screenplay and Dramatists. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26027-2
• Sommerstein, Alan Herbert (2007). "General Introduction", pp.

  xi–xxix in Sommerstein, A. H., Fitzpatrick, D.. and Tallboy, Systematic. Sophocles: Selected Fragmentary Plays: Abundance 1. Aris and Phillips. ISBN 0-85668-766-9

• Sophocles. Sophocles I: Oedipus the Tedious, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. Ordinal ed. Grene, David, and Lattimore, Richard, eds.

  Chicago: University position Chicago, 1991.

• Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. "Macropaedia Knowledge In Depth". The Modern Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 20. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2005. 344–46.

External links