Sophocles

Sophocles was an ancient Greek playwright who lived in Classical Athens, probably from about 496 to about 406 BCE. He was born at Colonus, then a village just outside the city, and spent most of his long life in Athens during the years of its greatest power and its long war with Sparta. He is traditionally said to have served the city in public roles as well as writing for the theatre.

Sophocles was one of the three great Athenian tragedians, alongside Aeschylus and Euripides. He wrote well over a hundred plays, but only seven survive complete. He won many prizes at the dramatic festivals and is credited with adding a third actor, which allowed more complex action and conflict. His plays, including Antigone and Oedipus the King, focus on strong-willed people facing fate, duty and the limits of human knowledge. They are still performed and studied today.