Bust of Sophocles; Roman copy after a Greek original of the 4th cent., B.C. (Vatican Museums)
They are among the surviving gems of classical literature. Ancient Greek dramatist Sophocles’ famous tragedies, including Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus, chart the fate of the royal house of ancient Thebes. They were written to provide essential lessons for an Athenian audience in 5th century B.C., and address themes of justice and political leadership, the limits of rationality, and the reconciliation of mortality and aspiration.
Sophocles’ plays offer meanings for us today that are as profound as the perspectives they delivered to their earliest audiences. Tonight, archaeologist Frederick Winter examines these timeless works in their ancient and modern contexts. A reception follows the presentation.
