Sophocles was a Greek playwright born in 496 BC in Attica. He wrote over 120 plays and won 18 first prizes at the annual City of Dionysia festival. Some of his most famous works include Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Women of Trachis. In addition to writing, Sophocles also served as a priest and held roles on the Board of Generals and as the Director of the Treasury in Athens. He died in 405 BC after producing his final play, Oedipus at Colonus.

2. • Birth
-Colonus in
Attica
-496 B.C.
• Father
-Sophillus
SOPHOCLES

3. Family
• Wife: Nicostrate
Son: Iophon, writer of
tragedy
• Mistress: Theoris of Sicyon
Son: Agathon, another
writer

4. •Education
-Lamprus, his
music teacher
-well educated in
all of the arts

5. ACHIEVEMENTS
of
Sophocles

6. • 16 y/o
-chosen to lead a choir
of boys for the victory of
Salamis
• 28 y/o
-was ready to compete
in the City of Dionysia

7. City of Dionysia
- a festival held
every year at the
Theatre of
Dionysus in which
new plays were

8. • First Competition:
-won first prize
• More than 120 plays
• Won 18 first prizes
• Never failed to take at
least second

9. First
Competition

10. SOPHOCLES VS AESCHYLUS

11. Aeschylus
-first of the three
ancient Greek
tragedians
-works have
survived
-”Father of Tragedy”

12. • First Competition:
-won first prize
• More than 120 plays
• Won 18 first prizes
• Never failed to take at
least second

13. Different
professions
of
Sophocles

14. The juggling act fascinated
the audience and it was
the talk of Athens for many
years.

15. Gave up his acting career
-because of his weak
voice
-to pursue other
ventures.

16. SOPHOCLES AS A
PRIEST

17. • served as an
ordained priest in
service of two local
heroes Alcon and
Asclepius

18. Alcon, a
skillful archer
Asclepius,
the god of
Medicine Asclepius

19. •served on the Board
of Generals, dealt
with civil and
military affairs in
Athens

20. Director of the Treasury
•controls the funds of
the association of
states known as the
Delian Confederacy

21. WORKS OF SOPHOCLES
120 7

22. OEDIPUS THE KING
• greatest work of Sophocles
• explores the depths of modern
psycho analysis as Oedipus
unwittingly kills his father and
marries his mother in an attempt
to avoid the very prophecy he
ultimately fulfills.

23. Antigone
• the first surviving plays to have
been written
• story of a passionate young
woman who refuses to submit to
earthly authority
• illustrating the rival claims of the
state and individual conscience.

24. Women of Trachis
• Sophocles presents another well
rounded female character
• this drama does offer a powerful
and touching story of a jealous
woman.
• Sophocles’ greatest character
drama.

25. Other works of Sophocles
1.Oedipus at Colonus
2.Electra
3.Ajax
4.Philoctetes

26. Sophocles
• he was the first to add a third actor.
• he also abolished the trilogic form.
Aeschylus, for example, had used
three tragedies to tell a single story.
Sophocles choose to make each
tragedy a complete entity in itself.

27. • invention of scene-painting
and periaktoi (painted prisms).
• Periaktoi
-ancient device still used for
stage scene changes.

29. • Death
-after the production of
Oedipus at Colonus in 405
-joined Aeschylus and
Euripides in the underworld.
Thus the first great
age of tragedy