Sofocle

The Profile

Classical Athenian tragedian, one of the three great tragedians of Athens. Author of Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus; several of his plays survive in full.

Ancient sources attribute over 120 plays to him, of which seven survive complete. He is traditionally counted among the three great Athenian tragedians (with Aeschylus and Euripides) and is credited with developments in tragic staging such as the addition of a third actor.

The reviews focus on Sofocle's Oedipus plays, especially the tragic arc from Oedipus Rex to Oedipus at Colonus. Critics compare Sophoclean existential tragedy with Aeschylean solemnity and highlight knowledge through suffering as a central theme. Both reviews praise the works as masterpieces of tragic composition.