Are these unique Greek plays too dark for you?

This last week I got through three of my 20 books/plays for the year. That brings me to a grand total of six, which feels crazy fast. Maybe I could have done more books? And yet, there’s still War and Peace hanging in the background … You can read the earlier reviews here, here and here.

These next three books are actually all Ancient Greek plays by Sophocles. This was a recommend from my husband, who was on a classics reading kick last year and really enjoyed these. I must say, it was a good tip, so I’m passing on the recommendation to read the Three Theban Plays. Their individual titles are: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.

Spoiler alert: While I will do my best to avoid wrecking the plot twists, there will be some spoiler alerts in this review.

Summary of all three plays

While they are separate plays written in reserve order, the Three Theban Plays are a trilogy. Read in order of the story (not the order of the writing) the plot goes something like this:

Oedipus is king of Thebes when a terrible mix of famine and plague strike the city. Desperate to lift the curse, they beg the gods for a way out. Apollo responds, telling them they must hunt out the murderer of the previous king, who was never caught.

Full of civic duty, Oedipus calls down curses on this unknown murder, and begins the hunt. Digging back into the past, he discovers some terrible truths about his own parents and the outcome of an awful prophecy. The murder is discovered. Suicide, injury and exile ensue. The curse is lifted and the curtain falls.

In the second play, we find Oedipus wandering as a blind beggar with his daughter Antigone for guide. He is an exile, looking for somewhere to find rest. Coming to the city of Colonus, he realises that this is where he has been called to stay and die by the gods.

Citizens of Colonus, including their king, arrive to interrogate the newcomers. Oedipus tells them that due to another prophecy, wherever he dies will be protected against enemies. Now, the citizens of Colonus must fight emissaries from Oedipus’ old city of Thebes to claim the old king and his supernatural protection.

Oedipus dies, one lucky country becomes safe from destruction and his remaining children are left to survive the ruin of the losing city.

In the final play, we see the fate of Oedipus’ children. Antigone, the eponymous character, is the main focus of the play. She defies an order not to bury the body of her traitor brother and is sentenced to be buried alive.

More suicide, death and last minute rescues ensure, closing this ancient trilogy.

What I loved: Flowing and graphic dialogue played out a unique plot

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an Ancient Greek play. It’s been a long time since I delved into the Ancients, baring 2021 where I pushed through The Iliad and The Odyssey with gritted teeth. These plays had none of the repetition and digression that I found in my (albeit limited) Ancient readings.

The dialogue moved smoothly and was easy to understand. I found the plots unique and interesting. Much of the plot hung on the audience’s understanding of several myths and stories which were already old at the time Sophocles was writing. Luckily, I already had that background but if you don’t you might want to read up a bit about Oedipus and the Sphinx.

While short, these were compelling. I felt the pain and shock of the characters. At one passage I had a physical cringe reaction to the action of one of the characters. I can only imagine how much more engrossing these would be to watch acted out as they were intended.

What I struggled with: random chorus parts and so much death

The chorus jumps into the story to deliver the moral or wisdom segment of these plays. Their sections are not all bad. I enjoyed many and found they mostly added strength to the story line. That said, there were a few parts which I felt lacked punch and detracted from the main story. This may be showing my ignorance of Ancient Greek play structure, but there it is.

My second note would have to be the high level of death and a few other graphic moments. I didn’t mind this so much myself, but I want to note it for any of you who might want to read. There is an understated graphic quality to the descriptions of death and injury. I appreciate this for the writing quality, but acknowledge this may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you’ve read these plays, let me know in the comments below.