The Three Theban Plays: Antigone ; Oedipus at Colonus ; Oedipus the King

Probably my favourite plays I ever had to read for Classical Studies. Oedipus, particularly. They certainly are tragedies, but they're wonderfully structured ones that, to me at least, certainly pack a punch. ( )

“Olha, espectador, remonta a fundo, de sorte que a mola se desenrola com lentidão ao longo de uma vida humana, uma das mais perfeitas máquinas construídas pelos deuses infernais para o aniquilamento matemático de um homem” Jean Cocteau, em sua peça A Máquina Infernal, descrevendo o instante em que Édipo vence a esfinge, descreve perfeitamente o espírito de toda a Trilogia Tebana. ( )

Rated: C+
The New Lifetime Reading Plan: Number 6

Roving ambition helps many a man to good,
And many it falsely lures to light desires,
Till failure trips them unawares, and they fall
On the fire that consumes them. Well was it said,
Evil seems good
To him who is doomed to suffer;
And short is the time before that suffering comes. (Antigone) ( )

Oedipis at Colonus: Meh. It's obvious why nearly everyone knows Oedipus Rex, yet very few people know Oedipus at Colonus. It just didn't live up to its predecessor.

Antigone: Antigone's journey throughout the second two Theban plays reminds me of Cordelia from King Lear. She stands by her father even as her siblings have abandoned him. She's wise, ever the loyal daughter and meets a rather tragic end due to her love and loyalty. She also brings to mind the steady, holy virtues of the Biblical Ruth. Antigone wasn't the greatest play, but it was a good story (i.e. it was a good story, poorly told, IMO). I choose to believe the essence was lost in translation. ( )

I remember reading Antigone in high school but not much of the play itself. In my college class now, we are reading it and I got much more out of it this time. :) Could do with the fact that I'm older now. We were only required to read Antigone but I felt as if I were missing parts of the story overall without having read the other two so I decided to read all three. I've seen in other reviews that these translations of Fagles aren't as authentic as they could be, but in this context, since it's the first time I've read all three together I didn't mind that much. I knew the overall story of Oedipus, but not until I read these did I really understand it and get to see the character's as more than names. I enjoyed the plays and have decided that I need to read more plays next year. :) ( )