Mrs. C .Russell

28 de diciembre de 2025

School Book

My sons needed this book for their English 1313 class. They were not pleased with the content, but what can you do but read it if it is for a grade?

1 persona la encontró útil

Melissa Tan

13 de agosto de 2026

Amazing

The book arrived in great condition and the print is clear and easy to read. It includes Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus all in one volume, which is very convenient. The stories are classic and thought-provoking. Overall, a great collection for reading or for school.Ver más

Phillip McCollum

11 de agosto de 2015

One soul is enough, I know, to pay the debt for thousands, if one will go to the gods in all good faith.

There’s a pattern with many of these Greek tragedies. Through the sad tales of cursed families, they illustrate the evolution of Western civilization. Fifth-century Athens was a light in the dark, a young democracy, and the Athenians used tragedy as a tool to preserve history, learn from it, and document their growth. With The Oresteia, we saw Aeschylus tackle the ideas of law and respect for the state, and Sophocles continues along those lines, but places the focus on another great philosophical problem–free will vs. fate.Though heady, the plays also had an entertainment value. The Spring festival celebrating Dionysus provided an opportunity for playwrights such as Sophocles to compete and put on a performance for thousands of spectators. Tragedies usually ran in the morning and the more lighthearted comedies toward the end of the day.Being tragedies, lighthearted these three Theban plays are not. They adhere to the Greek tradition of dramatizing the lives of a cursed family, but instead of the House of Atreus, we gain a jagged view of humanity’s affliction through the House of Oedipus.The first play, Antigone, is actually the last chronologically. Oedipus is dead, yet the curse continues. Thebes has defeated an onslaught of Argosian warriors, led by Polynices, the exiled son of Oedipus. He was killed, along with his brother, Eteocles. Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and sister of both Polynices and Eteocles, wants to bury the body of Polynices, but her uncle and Theban King, Creon, threatens anyone who does so with death. I think you can see where things are headed…Next comes Oedipus the King, the shining star of the three plays–the painting within the frame. Each piece has its own beauty, but we move back in time to that dreadful moment of discovery. It’s through Oedipus’ actions that we see an evolution in Greek theater. The plot builds perfectly according to Aristotle’s Poetics and is the cornerstone of many a modern story. Oedipus represents the everyman, marching forward, thinking destiny is within his control, only to discover that he is a mere puppet to fate.A plague has struck Thebes and the only solution is to bring the killer of Thebes’ last king, Laius, to justice. Through plot twists and turns, Oedipus dedicates himself to finding the killer, only to discover that he is the killer, and that he has fulfilled a prophecy which he has tried to avoid all of his life. The truth is too much. His wife and mother, Jocasta, kills herself, and Oedipus gouges out his eyes, his one act of defiant free will.Finally, we are presented with Oedipus at Colonus. Many years have passed and Oedipus has become a wanderer, guided by the loyal Antigone. He finds himself in the town of Colonus, just outside of Athens. The oracular prophecy makes its next move: Oedipus has arrived in the place where he must be buried. This play is an ode to Athens, and by being buried just outside the city, it will be protected for all time.Thus ends the Theban trilogy. Similar to my Aeschylus readings, I picked up the Robert Fagles translation. Sophocles’ writing flows easier and is less dense than that of Aeschylus, so if you had a tough time with The Oresteia, you may find Sophocles to be more in your wheelhouse. From Freud to soap operas, you’ll certainly begin to understand the many references to this bit of dramatic history.Ver más

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Michelle Wheeler

The Three Theban Plays Antigone book

The seller shipped the book my son needed for school in amazing time. It arrived before the date given which was a huge help. The book is exactly how they described it's condition. Very satisfied with this seller.

1 persona la encontró útil

Bethh

8 de enero de 2026

Must read

Really good book! Must read for anyone especially anyone who considers themselves a reader

Emeka

15 de marzo de 2026

Book came as described

Great quality

Alberto Melendez

24 de enero de 2013

Great stories!!!

I love reading about the tragic hero and the ultimate tragic hero is Oedipus. This is a must-read for everyone that loves ancient Greek literature. The stories connect well with each other and the translation by Robert Fagles is the best and easy to understand. I borrowed this book for my comparative literature class and I loved it so much that I purchased my own copy and have read it twice so far!!!!! I give it the highest possible recommendation for any reader to have...you will not be disappointed!!Ver más

Krogar

6 de enero de 2023

Good quality books for a good price

I got this book for my college English class and since it was just for class I didn't want to spend much money on a book I'll only use for maybe a week or two. I picked the cheapest option and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the paper. I did annotate this book with pens and highlighters and nothing bled through the paper!! Will be buying this brand of books again.Ver más

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Vigarie Francois

4 de noviembre de 2017

Somewhat dishonest

I thought I was ordering the 2000 edition however I received an 1984 pocket edition (shorter and mangier...). Not cool at all.

Younes M'darhri Alaoui

27 de abril de 2025

Good edition. Don't buy it for the essays though.

There is not much to report other than this is exactly what I expected. The translation is good, and I have no particular remarks about it, but the essays are useless and more akin to intellectual masturbation than anything worth any philosophical value. Either way, I didn't buy the book for the essays, so that's an easy five-star rating, the way I see it.Ver más

Guilherme

16 de abril de 2025

Livro

Edição de capa comum, mas ruim, o meu já veio com uns arranhões, nada parecido com as edições que a pinguim normalmente faz.

Max Alletzhauser

14 de abril de 2026

Don't do it

Pirate version of much lower quality than original. Printed in Poland with something called 'Amazon Fulfillment' (almost like print-on-demand, with white, glossy pages and pixelated cover), but this is not mentioned in the product description. Does the publishers know this is happening?(No problem with the actual title, just the printed version)Ver más