*Born in 497 B.C. near Athens, Greece
* Born into a wealthy family
* Experienced a happy childhood and received a good education
* Showed true talent in play writing and was chosen to lead the boys' choir by age sixteen
* Elected to military office
* Was popular, good looking, a good athlete, and wonderful writer as a young man
* Nicknamed Attic-bee by many Athenians because he was said to take "pure honey" from words
* Won 18 first place awards and never received below 2nd when entering plays for the first time
*Performed in many of his own plays
* Died in 406 B.C. when he was ninety years old
Back to Authors Page
* Wrote 123 plays, but only seven are preserved
~Ajax, thougth to be the earliest (451-444 B.C.)
~Antigone (442 B.C.)
~The Trachinian Women (430 B.C.)
~Philactetes (409 B.C.)
~Oedipus the King, which is considered his greatest work
~Electra (410 B.C.)
~Oedipus at Colonus
* Wrote about the main theme of struggle within man
* Wrote mostly tragic plays
* Considered greatest of the Greek tragedians
* Increased number of actors in the plays from two to three, which lessened the chorus and made more complicated plots possible
* More descriptive portrayal of characters
Athens
* Located in Ancient Greece
* Society based on the arts and culture during this time period
* Many great artists, philosophers, and play writes were from here
*During the Classical Period, reached political and cultural heights
* Began to decline in 267 A.D.
Ancient Greece 497 B.C.- 406 B.C.
* Classical Period 500-336 B.C.
* Developed the democratic system of government under Pericles
* Building of the Parthenon on the Acropolis
* Founding of philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato
Map of Ancient GreeceBibliography
1. Amazon.com. 29 March 2001 <http://www.ancientgreece.com/html/books_frame.htm>
2. Ancient Greece. 29 March 2001 <http://www.ancientgreece.com/html/history_frame.htm>
3. Sophocles. 25 March 2001 <http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc1.htm>
4. Sophocles. 30 March 2001 <http://www.historyforkids.org>
Back to Enloe
