A nice flow to the text, which tries to stick with the original poetic meter.
Good Intro to each play. Glossary and Textual Notes are at the back, which makes it a bit clunkier to use than if the Notes were at the bottom of the text's pages.
I usually refer to this while using the Hackett translations as my main text.
But with the meter, and the use of "older" language (and not modern words and phrases) this may appeal more to some readers.

who am i to give some of the most iconic plays of all time four stars? idk, i’m just basing this on how i liked it. there’s nothing much to say since these are such classics, but of course they’re good. it only took me so long to read because i’ve been busy. aristotle said something about oedipus being the best tragedy of all time and i might have to agree. the oedipus cycle was great, but so are all of sophocles’ other plays. i especially liked electra since i was very familiar with agamemnon’s story from the illiad and the odyssey. it was nice to see the aftermath there. also like reading a positive take on neoptolemus in philoctetes. i could comment on them all, but nobody wants that. bottom line is these are good and necessary additions to the tbr of an ancient greece enthusiast

I would not remember much of this book for my life,
but if I could to carry with me these two quotes I would like.

"I rate the man as nothing worth who feels the glow of idle hopes." - Ajax

"How then could royalty be sweeter for me to have than painless rule and influence? Not yet am I so misguided as to desire other honors than those which profit." - Creon

Un poco pesado por la intervención de los coros, las constantes lamentaciones de los personajes y el formato de obra teatral. Además de los nombres que cuestan un poco de trabajo. Sin embargo, las historias están muy bien contadas y para su época es sencillamente excelente.

Dans l'ensemble je pense que je préfère les pièces de Sophocles à celles d'Euripide, il a des vrais moments d'humour que j'ai beaucoup appréciés.

3.5

Ajax - 4/5 - Sophocle est beaucoup plus drôle qu'Euripide, la dispute entre Teucros et Menelas (booh) et Agamemnon (boohx2) m'a achevée.
Antigone - 5/5 - Antigone mon amour ma vie.
Œdipe roi - 4/5 - Iconique
Électre - 3/5 - Je trouve que la version d'Euripide était non seulement mieux écrite mais aussi plus intéressante. Cette Electra est presque une version soldée d'Antigone.
Les trachiniennes - 2.5/5 - Hercule aurait dû souffrir plus... Quel gros porc.
Philoctète - 2/5 - Ah super. Mes deux personnages préférés, Ulysse et Néoptolème, unis pour manipuler un mec qu'Ulysse a abandonné sur une île pendant dix ans afin de conquérir Troie. Génial. J'aime trop.
Œdipe à colone - 4/5 - J'aime beaucoup, je suis une grande fan de rancune, donc Oedipe qui meurt et se fait enterrer loin de chez lui pour faire chier ses proches est très iconique à mon avis
Les limiers - C'est un fragment de rien du tout, donc je ne donne pas de note.

Софокл Трагедії

This was my first true foray in Classical Greek literature (D.W.'s version of The Odyssey in Arthur not withstanding). I had seen a production of Antigone in high school, and Greek mythology is not exactly foreign to me, but I'd never read any original works of the time.

While at first this translation seemed a little too modern to me, I soon grew to enjoy it; it was very easy to understand, and I was able to go through the plays quickly. Due to their somewhat depressing nature I only read one play every few days, but they weren't hard reads. I wasn't terribly impressed when I first began, mainly because I don't think the first play, Aias, is one of the strongest--or maybe it was one that I personally didn't connect to as much. But then I read Women of Trakhis, and my opinion changed. It's definitely my favorite out of the whole book.

I'd recommend this translation for people who, like me, are wary of of jumping into Greek drama with very little experience beforehand.

Some of these translations were easier to follow than others, and some of the other plays a bit opaque to me, but all told I enjoyed learned from reading this collection.

Non sono d'accordo con quello che sento spesso dire. Rileggere le tragedie di Sofocle è stato un ritorno a casa, una grande emozione, ma non è vero che questo testi sono più belli se letti da adulti. Non dimenticherò mai cosa provava la me adolescente di fronte al dolore di Aiace che vince la sua sfida agli dei col suicidio e ad Odisseo, tessitore di inganni e suo grande nemico, che nella sventura soffre con lui. Di fronte al coraggio di Antigone, lei che mi ha insegnato quando avevo sedici anni che esiste un'Etica più forte di qualunque Legge e che una donna deve saper morire in piedi. Di fronte allo strazio di Edipo che prima scopre da solo il suo terribile lato d'ombra, lo disvela con le sue mani, ed infine entra nella luce dopo aver imparato a conviverci, illuminando l'ombra tremenda che abita dentro ognuno di noi. Sofocle spinge alla compassione fra i viventi, alla condivisione della fragilità. Fragilità incarnata da figure memorabili. Le sue tragedie, lui sacerdote del dio guaritore Ascelpio, sono una medicina. Non è giusto privare i ragazzi di questo. Sono convinta che l'educazione civica passi anche di qui. L'anno prossimo nei trienni dei professionali ci sarà un'ora in meno di italiano. Quanta bellezza non permettiamo di scoprire, perché ci manca sempre il tempo?

أليس إلاهًا قاسيًا ذلك الذي قدّر لي هذا المصير؟

Il ne nous reste que sept pièces de Sophocle, ce grand dramaturge athénien. Suite au challenge lancé par @antastesialit, #littéraventures , j'ai lu 5 de ces pièces antiques et me suis retrouvée transportée dans ce passé lointain, cette contrée de mythes et de héros.


Des cinq pièces lues ( Les Trachiniennenes, Antigone, Ajax, Oedipe Roi, Electre ), les plus marquantes pour moi ont été Antigone, Oedipe roi et Electre, bien que chacune offre son cocktail d'émotions fortes et soit empreinte d'un immense lyrisme.
Les personnages sont cultes, les dieux omniprésents. Les sentiments humains et la destinée, au coeur du théâtre tragique, font de ces oeuvres des messages de sagesse universels.


Malgré cela, les rites et les croyances, les us et coutumes des grecs de l'Antiquité, permettent aux lecteurs de découvrir un monde très éloigné du nôtre. Aux valeurs et à la conception de la vie très différentes.
Ainsi le suicide est très présent et souvent représenté comme un acte de bravoure alors que dans nos sociétés occidentales modernes, il est souvent jugé égoïste et lâche.
Le recours aux oracles est également la règle tout comme les sacrifices.


Une lecture stimulante, qui me donne envie de lire plus de théâtre.

This was an easy read for me. Paul Roche seems to go out of his way to make this translation digestible and understand able. Moreover, he illustrates elements that continue to be common place in Greek people today. My Mother in law is Greek and shows many of the same speech patterns, infinitesimal care of others, and attitudes.

Except for Antigone. Of these plays, Antigone is my absolute favorite. How interesting that Antigone, while the third and final portion of the Oedipal cycle, was the first to be written.

Again, I love this book. However, I will be releasing this to a local Little Free Library for others to enjoy.