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Oedipus at Colonus
7Sophocles
Sophocles's last play — the old blind Oedipus carried to his mysterious death; a meditation on exile and transfiguration written when Sophocles himself was in his nineties.
GBM Assessment (Score: 7/10)
Oedipus at Colonus completes the cycle of Oedipus's story, following the blind, exiled king to his mysterious death and transfiguration at Colonus. As Sophocles' last play, it offers a sustained meditation on exile, suffering, and the possibility of redemption at the end of life.
Sophocles set the play in Colonus, his own birthplace, lending it a deeply personal dimension. It was produced posthumously after the playwright's death and forms the final part of the Theban plays cycle, alongside Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Together, these three works constitute one of the greatest dramatic achievements of the ancient world.
The Peloponnesian War, c. 430-400 BC
The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) pits Athens against Sparta. Plague kills Pericles (429 BC). The Sicilian Expedition ends in catastrophe. Athens massacres Melos. Socrates teaches in the agora. Despite crisis, literary production remains astonishing. Athens surrenders in 404 BC. Socrates is executed in 399 BC.
Awards & Adaptations
Part of Theban plays cycle.
Recommended Edition
R.C. Jebb (1889)
