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Sophocles was born in Colonus Hippius, a rural deme of Athens located about one mile northwest of the city center.
Both him and his father were rich manufacturers of weapons and armor, allowing Sophocles to receive wealth and an elite aristocratic education in music, poetry, and gymnastics. -
496 BCE: Born in Colonus to a wealthy armor manufacturer!
480 BCE: At the age of 16, he was chosen for his beauty and musical skill to lead a victory song after the Greek victory at the Battle of salamis
468 BCE: He defeats an established master Aeschylus in his first competition at the City Dionysia -
Sophocles' birth coincided with the beginning of the Greek Classical Period!
The Golden Era of Greece refers to a period of unprecedented cultural, political, and economic growth following the Greek Victory in the Persian Wars -
He is credited with introducing the third actor and painted scenery around this time, forever altering the structure of Greek theatre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenography -
450 BCE: Herodotus traveled to Athens and became part of the city's intellectual elites. It is during this period that his friendship with Sophocles started.
440 BCE: Sophocles composed an ode specifically for Herodotus
443 BCE: Herodotus left Athens. -
The production of Ajax was his earliest surviving play, which explored the fallout of the Trojan War. The play explores the downfall of the legendary Greek hero Ajax the Great during the final year of the Trojan War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_(play) -
443-442 BCE: He servers as one of the imperial treasurers of the Delian League during the rise of Pericles
442-441 BCE: He stages his masterpiece Antigone
441-440 BCE: He is elected as a general alongside Pericles during the war against Samos
429 BCE: He produces Oedipus Rex, often cited by Aristotle as the ideal tragedy -
Antigone, a cornerstone of Greek tragedy that explores the timeless conflict between personal conscience and state authority.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigone -
He served as a general alongside Pericles, reportedly because the Athenians were so moved by his play Antigone -
A tragic play that tells the story of Heracles and his wife Deianeira. The plot is centered on Deianeira's desperate attempt to win back Heracles' love by using a love charm, which turns out to be made from poison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Trachis -
He hosted the cult of Asclepius in his home.
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A famous Greek Tragedy about King Oedipus of Thebes, who unknowingly fulfills a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother, leading to his downfall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_Rex -
Sophocles composes a famous hymn to Asclepius, so enduring it was still being sung in Athens centuries later. -
413 BCE: He is appointed as one of the commissioners to manage Athens' recovery
409 BCE: He wins his first prize with the play Philoctetes
406 BCE: He dies in Athens at approximately 90 years of age
401 BCE: His final play, Oedipus at Colonus, is produced by his grandson!! -
A Greek tragedy about Electra's relentless grief and desire for revenge after her father, King Agamemnon is murdered by her mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_(Sophocles_play) -
A Greek tragedy, first performed in 409 BC at the city of Dionysia in Athens, where it won Sophocles his first prize! The play is set on the desolate island of Lemnos during the 10th year of the Trojan War. The play is about securing a victory at Troy, where the Greeks must retrieve the warrior Philoctetes and his invincible bow from the island of Lemnos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philoctetes -
He had his actors and chorus appear in mourning garb at the Proagon festival as a mark of respect.
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Upon his death, the Athenians, wishing to honor his piety and hospitality to Asclepius, establish a hero-cult for him -
To further defend himself, Sophocles pulled out his latest manuscript (Oedipus at Colonus) and recited the famous ode praising his birthplace (Colonus).
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His oldest son, Lophon, grew anxious about his inheritance. Fearing his father was squandering the family fortune or being influenced by his grandson, Lophon brought suit before the family jurors. Lophon accused his father of dementia, arguing he was no longer capable of managing his extensive estate. Sophocles, in reponse, allegedly addressed the jury with a single question: "If I am Sophocles, I am not beside myself; if I am beside myself, I am not Sophocles." -
The jury was so moved by the beauty and complexity of the verse that they immediately dismissed the case.
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An ancient Greek tragedy produced in 401 BC; the play follows the final hours of Oedipus (The former king of Thebes), who is now a blind beggar wandering in exile.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_at_Colonus -
He is officially recognized as the hero Dexion, and a sanctuary is established in his honor.