The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles . Search Amazon for other books by or about Sophocles .. Rating: Reviewed by: Derek Peterssen

JANUARY 3-4 In many ways, Oedipus gets a bad rap. Blame Frued. For thousands of years, Oedipus was a hero. A noble and wise king, who through no (conscious) fault of his own ended up bringing a hideous plague on his family and country. Then you have Freud come in and create the "Oedipal complex", and everything touched by Oedipus suddenly becomes creepy.

Of course, long before Siggy took that cigar out of his mouth and began writing, Oedipus had been dealt with by a wide variety of writers. He was a stock character, and playwrights had written and re-written the tragic story of his life over centuries. (In case you've been busy watching Survivor, here's a summary: Oedipus is born to the king and queen of Thebes. There's a prediction that the child will grow up to kill his father and sleep with his mother. So (rather sensibly) they decide to have the boy killed, and send off a huntsman to do the dirty deed (shades of Snow White). He doesn't have the heart for it, and after staking the boy through his ankles to the ground, allows him to be raised by a peasant couple in a neighbouring kingdoom. Years pass, Oedipus is adopted by the local king and is told a prediction that he will grow up to kill his father and sleep with his mother.

So (rather sensibly) he leaves the kingdom (to save the king and queen who he believes the prophecy refers to) and (whoops!) wanders into the kingdom of his birth where he kills the king (his father), marries the queen (his mother) and solves the riddle of the sphinx, lifting a curse on the city. He becomes a prosperous and respected ruler, but eventually fate catches up to him, he realizes his mistakes and blinds himself. Which is where the story generally ends, but in Sophocles' trilogy of plays, we find out what happens next, as Oedipus wanders the world, tainted for his sins, but in some way made holy by his blinding and punishment. His two sons contend against each other for the crown of Thebes and are both slain. His daughter ignores an edict delcaring her brother a traitor and buries his remains, leading to her own death as an enemy of the state. Finally, Oedipus is given a place to rest and die, a sacred grove, and his mere presence will ensure the greatness of his adopted city, even as Thebes fades into obscurity.

Whew! It's a bit much, but these are three complete plays after all. I happen to be familiar with Greek drama (huzzah for a liberal arts education), so the conventions of the time (a chorous, few actors with speaking lines, minimal stage directions) don't bother me. Most of the Greek plays I've been to have left me cold, whether it's because of the masks or the somewhat alien view of man's role in nature. After all, what did Oedipus do that was wrong? He tried to escape a horrible fate (and in so doing, in typical Greek irony) ensured that fate would come to pass. Aside from that, he's a good man. A loving father, a devoted husband, a caring child. But he gets screwed around pretty well by the fates for all that.

Even so, there's an inner nobility in Sophocles' Oedipus that never disappears. He remains a king in all but name, a figure of authority and devotion. And I found the plays (Oedipus the King, Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus) to be surprisingly moving. For all the stereotyping of Greek characters as two-dimensional, the plays are moving characterizations, and reading all three together provides a satisfying arc to the story that leaves no loose threads dangling. It's not surprising to see why these are works that have held up so well, and why Sophocles is one of few Greek dramatists to retain an influence today outside of the merely academic setting.

If you've never read the Oedipus story, this is probably the best place to begin. Even though it's three plays, you'll generally be able to get them in a single volume. What order you read them in is your own business. I believe most critics hold that the plays weren't written in chronological order, which is why most collections put Antigone first. But giving them the chronological treatment, tracking the rise and fall of a great character, is probably the most satisfying. And if your local community playhouse or university is ever putting on a production of Sophocles, check it out. You might be surprised by how well such an ancient play holds up.