Sophocles was a Greek playwright who lived between Aeschylus and Euripides. He was a prominent figure in Greek society, known for his amiable personality and good looks. He produced 125 plays, of which seven survive today, and his work often explored human emotion and introduced the concept of dramatic irony. His most famous works are the three Theban plays, which are considered a masterpiece of dramatic art. Sophocles died in 406 BC and was deeply mourned by his contemporaries.
Sophocles was one of the three great Greek tragedians who took classical society by storm with their plays, radically reforming ancient Greek arts and culture. He falls in the middle of the three for the time he lived and worked, with Aeschylus preceding him and Euripides following him. Besides being an accomplished playwright, Sophocles was also a prominent figure in Greek society, loved and revered as a true gentleman by Athenian standards.
He was born in 496 BC in a small rural community, and then moved to Athens. As an Athenian, Sophocles was twice elected general and served as a priest, at one point allowing his house to be used for religious services until an appropriate temple could be built. He was also known to be an amiable, sociable and very friendly man, and these traits were held in high esteem by the Athenians, so he quickly rose to social prominence. He is also said to have been extremely handsome by Athenian standards.
He had three children by two wives, Nicostrate and Theoris, and was also an extremely productive playwright, producing some 125 plays, of which seven survive today, as well as a few fragments. Unlike many famous authors, Sophocles enjoyed fame and recognition during his lifetime, with his work regularly receiving first prizes at Greek drama festivals and, after Aeschylus’ death, dominating the Greek theater community.
Sophocles’ work stands out for a number of reasons. He added a third actor to his tragedies, taking the focus away from the refrain and introducing more character interactions that allowed his characters to develop more fully. Sophocles often included an exploration of human emotion in his work, looking at the tragedies of character rather than the abstract circumstances imposed by the Gods, and he also introduced and refined the concept of dramatic irony.
His most famous works are probably the three Theban plays, written over a period of about 40 years and meant to be performed individually, although some theaters perform them as a trilogy. The Theban plays consist of Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, and many people consider them a masterpiece of dramatic art, classical and otherwise. Among other complete works surviving today are Ajax and Eclectra. Sophocles died in 406 BC and was deeply mourned by his contemporaries.
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