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Oedipus the King

By Sophocles

Translated by Ian Johnston

$9.95

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The story of Oedipus, as told by Sophocles in Oedipus the King, is famous for presenting a grim and compelling conflict between free will and fate. When Thebes is threatened by a divinely ordained plague, Oedipus, the king, a great and good man famous for his intelligence and courage, is determined to save the city. He launches his own investigation and pursues it relentlessly to its deeply ironic conclusion, an ending which brings to light the horrific secret of his own identity.

Oedipus the King has long been regarded, not only as Sophocles' finest play, but also as the purest and most powerful expression of Greek tragic drama. In this new verse translation, Ian Johnston captures the compelling tension of Sophocles' drama, the intense poetic vision which has made this play justly celebrated as one of the great masterpieces of Western literature.
Category
Classics
ISBN (softcover)
978-0-9797571-1-2
e-ISBN
978-1-935238-04-1
Author
Sophocles
Translator
Ian Johnston
  • I am a big fan of your work. I love the translation of Oedipus the King.
  • These new dramatic releases provide us once again with that powerful and direct style of translation for which Professor Johnston has become known. Students reading these translations will have no doubt of the passion and issues raised by the plays.

    — Princeton Professor Emerita Elaine Fantham

  • Excellent translation, easy to read, wonderful entry to epic Greek poems.
  • It's the first semester for teaching Greek Drama at a new school. I've look through translations and I like yours best.

    — Nashville, Tennessee

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What makes Oedipus a tragic hero? Ian Johnston examines the tension between fate and free will in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, arguing that the very qualities that make Oedipus great—his intelligence, courage, confidence, and relentless pursuit of truth—also lead him toward catastrophe.

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Introduction to Ancient Greece

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Oedipus the King

$9.95