Sophocles

Sophocles (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/ˈsɒfəkliːz/</a>;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles#cite_note-1" >[1]</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language" >Greek</a>: Σοφοκλῆς, Sophoklēs, Ancient Greek: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Greek" title="Help:IPA for Greek" >[so.pʰo.klɛ̂ːs]</a>; <abbr title="circa" >c.</abbr> 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles#cite_note-S41-2" >[2]</a> is one of three <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Greece" title="Classical Greece" >ancient Greek</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy" title="Tragedy" >tragedians</a> whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeschylus" title="Aeschylus" >Aeschylus</a>, and earlier than or contemporary with those of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euripides" title="Euripides" >Euripides</a>. Sophocles wrote 120 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax(Sophocles)" class="mw-redirect" title="Ajax (Sophocles)" >Ajax</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigone(Sophocles)" class="mw-redirect" title="Antigone (Sophocles)" >Antigone</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trachiniae" class="mw-redirect" title="The Trachiniae" >The Women of Trachis</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_the_King" class="mw-redirect" title="Oedipus the King" >Oedipus the King</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra(Sophocles)" class="mw-redirect" title="Electra (Sophocles)" >Electra</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philoctetes(Sophocles)" class="mw-redirect" title="Philoctetes (Sophocles)" >Philoctetes</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_at_Colonus" title="Oedipus at Colonus" >Oedipus at Colonus</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles#cite_note-3" >[3]</a> For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polis" title="Polis" >city-state</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Athens" title="Classical Athens" >Athens</a> that took place during the religious festivals of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenaea" class="mw-redirect" title="Lenaea" >Lenaea</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Dionysia" class="mw-redirect" title="City Dionysia" >Dionysia</a>. He competed in 30 competitions, won 18, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won 14 competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles, while Euripides won 5 competitions.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles#cite_note-4" >[4]</a>

The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus" title="Oedipus" >Oedipus</a> and also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigone(Sophocles)" class="mw-redirect" title="Antigone (Sophocles)" >Antigone</a>: they are generally known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Theban_plays" class="mw-redirect" title="Three Theban plays" >Theban plays</a>, although each play was actually a part of a different <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetralogy" title="Tetralogy" >tetralogy</a>, the other members of which are now lost. Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor, thereby reducing the importance of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_chorus" title="Greek chorus" >chorus</a> in the presentation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot(narrative)" title="Plot (narrative)" >plot</a>. He also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_arc" title="Character arc" >developed his characters</a> to a greater extent than earlier playwrights such as Aeschylus.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles#cite_note-F247-5" >[5]</a>

Sophocles

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