| − | '''Sophocles''' lived from 495 to 406 BC. He was a Greek playwright from [[Athens]] who wrote over 100 plays, only seven of which have survived. He was known for his use of [[tragedy]], and his works frequently won dramatic competitions. Some of his famous works are ''[[Antigone]]'' and ''[[Oedipus the King]]'' (Theban plays). | + | '''Sophocles''' lived from 495 to 406 BC. He was a Greek playwright from [[Athens]]. He was the son of a wealthy merchant, and enjoyed luxuries accordingly. By age sixteen, his attractive physical attributes helped him be chosen to lead a choir at a celebration of victory at the Battle of Salamis. At age twenty-eight, he defeated Aeschylus at the City Dionysia, which was a yearly competition held at the Theatre of Dionysis, after which he never won less than second place and achieved first place eighteen times. He acted in many of his own plays, and was quite an accomplished juggler. However, his weak voice eventually led to his persuit of other interests. He wrote over 120 plays, only seven of which have survived. He was known for his use of [[tragedy]], and his works frequently won dramatic competitions. Some of his famous works are ''[[Antigone]]'' ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' and ''[[Oedipus the King]]'' (Theban plays). Aside from his plays, Sophocles was a priest and served on the Board of Generals, which was a group that controlled the civil and military issues in Athens. For a time, he was the treasurer of the Delian Confederacy. Sophocles was the first playwrite to have three actors in his plays, as well as being one of the first to abandon the trilogy form of writing and making each tragedy tell its own story. He died a natural death at the age of 89. |