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Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus | Sophocles, David Mulroy
2 posts | 15 read | 5 to read
Oedipus at Colonus follows Oedipus Rex and Antigone in the trilogy of Greek dramas about the king of Thebes and his unhappy family. David Mulroy's translation combines scrupulous scholarship and textual accuracy with a fresh verse style, and his introduction and notes deepen the reader's understanding of the play and the politics of Sophocles' Athens.
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averil
Oedipus at Colonus | Sophocles, David Mulroy
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Pickpick

Oedipus at Colonus is a weird tragedy in that the climax of the play is not really tragic. I even hesitate to call this play a tragedy: yes, some machinations of fate are at play, and yes, Polynices' obstinacy to go to his death are sad, but the story here is of Oedipus and his fate to die in glory with the gods.

Oedipus is practically assumed as Christians would later call it—it‘s such a supernatural ending to such an earthy tradition, no?

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batsy
Oedipus at Colonus | Sophocles, David Mulroy
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With this, I've reached the end of Sophocles. This tragedy has largely gone under the radar, especially mine, so I found it genuinely surprising that it was so moving & tender & elegiac. Written by Sophocles close to his death, as the Athenian empire waned, & produced by his grandson after his death, this shows us Odysseus in old age coming to terms with his impending death. Old age & the inevitable sadness of change hangs over this tragedy. 5 ⭐

batsy Painting: "Oedipus at Colonus" by Fulchran-Jean Harriet (1798). I read the translation by David Grene. 2y
Aimeesue Did you see the Theater of War reading of this play last night? Margaret Atwood read a small part! 2y
batsy @Aimeesue No, I didn't. Do they make it available for later viewing? Time zone difference means that these will be in the mornings over here and I'm unlikely to be able to watch then 😟 It's very cool that they did this one, though! 2y
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Aimeesue @batsy No, unfortunately they don't. They record them, but don't make them available for viewing. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has to do with agreements with the actors? Or the people who participate in the discussions afterward? 2y
batsy @Aimeesue Oh no, that's a shame. Yeah probably there's probably some of those issues involved. 2y
vivastory Are you now finished with the Greek plays, or are there some remaining by Aristophanes? 2y
Graywacke Great review. I really enjoyed this too. 2y
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