Oedipus at Colonus
by Sophocles · Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ
Assigned by 4 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 406 BCE, produced 401 BCE
- Form
- Tragedy
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 80 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Three Theban Plays, translated by Robert FaglesPenguin Classics, 1984Vivid and speakable, with Bernard Knox's introductions; contains all three Theban plays.
These links go straight to Amazon and Bookshop.org and earn this site nothing today. Prices are the same either way. How this works.
Sophocles' last play, written in his nineties. The blind, aged Oedipus, led by his daughter Antigone, arrives at the grove of the Furies at Colonus outside Athens, where an oracle has said he will die. Theseus grants him protection. Creon tries to seize him by force and his son Polynices comes begging for his blessing; Oedipus curses both his sons. Summoned by thunder, he walks unaided to a death seen only by Theseus, and his grave becomes a blessing for Athens.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Oedipus at Colonus are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
