Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations (Hardcover)) Updated ed. Edition, Kindle Edition

I managed, only because I knew the story.It's good, but definately kind of disturbing. Those Greeks, what to do, wht to do.If you like freaky stories, you'll love this. It's got everything, murder, incest, magic, and self mutilation.The original soap opera.

Just in case my review ends up in any and every edition of Oedipus Rex that is sold at Amazon.com, I should make it clear from the start that this is a review of the edition of the play presented in the original Greek, edited and with commentary by R.D. Rawe, which is to be found in the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics.About the play itself I will say nothing other than it is the greatest play of the greatest playwright of the ancient world.Concerning the text as presented by Dawe, it was interesting to pleasurable to read and compare his own particular edition of the play with that of other editors such as Jebb and Hugh Lloyd-Jones. Unfortunately, not being a scholar of the manuscript tradition, I can say nothing about the judiciousness of his particular editorial choices.Regarding the commentary, I found it excellent, particularly in its explanations of particle combinations and its highlighting of peculiar diction on Sophocles' part.Excellent though it is, I should stress that it is clearly not aimed at students of Greek who are only beginning their study of Greek tragedy, since Dawe passes over in silence much that would be obscure and difficult to inexperienced students. That said, it would still be an interesting and illuminating commentary for a the more inexperienced student so long as he or she used it in conjunction with another commentary oriented to beginners in tragedy -- the best such commentary would be that published in the amazing Bryn Mawr Commentary series.What struck me most about Dawe's commentary was the wonderfully dry sense of humor that expresses itself from time to time. It is the only commentary on an ancient Greek text that I've read which actually had me laughing out loud on a number of occasions.All in all, then, I highly recommend it.

as described

This is a play full of dramatic and tragic irony. What are the odds of killing your father and marrying your mother without knowing. Oedipus Rex was abandoned as a child because of a prophecy saying he would grow up to kill his father, the king, and marry his mother. He grew up a peasant and one day killed a king who was traveling the opposite way on the same road as he. Obvious to us, this was his father. He later solves a riddle to save the city and is made king. He therefore must marry the queen unbeknown to him as his mother. The truth finally comes out of the mouth of a blind prophet who forsay it all in the beginning. Although you may be forced to read this play in high school or in college it is still a great play to read. It is short and easy to follow and makes for great class discussions.

This is the type of book that you probably wont read unless you're bored or have to. It's definitely a good story that relates to society today as it was in the past. In it Oedipus ends up killing his father and marrying his mother, but in the process never realizes his fault until it's too late.If you've seen the movie "Angel Heart" then you should definitely read this book because of the correlation and overlapping of both stories. It was very intriguing to see something displayed on screen very alike to the text in the book.

I do not feel Sophocles quite matches Aeschylus. Nevertheless, his trilogy is a phenomenal piece of literature. The construction of this is superb. WITHOUT REALIZING IT, Oedipus has murdered his father, married his mother, and has had children with his mother. This horror filled play DEFINES Aristotle's theory of recognition. Gradually we (along with Oedipus) are exposed to bits of information that lead to the discovery of what has happened. The true horror is when the clues start getting bigger and more obvious. When I finished the 1st of the trilogy, I was so overcome with horror that I had to smoke some cigarettes to calm down. But remember, the play DOES NOT end here. It continues in "Oedipus at Colonus" (Part 2) and "Antigone" (Part 3).

When I was a little girl, I would always admire my father, and consequently on several occasions I distinctly remember my mother telling me that I had an "Oedipus Complex". It was not until I reached my tenth grade Drama class that I fully understood what having an "Opedipus Complex" meant. Initially, I was astounded, I thought that it was some sort of abnormality, but then upon reading Freud, I learned that it was part of child development. This book is for anyone who enjoys tragedy, irony, and the willingness to explore the deeper regons of their unconcious. Sophocles has written a family drama embedded in Greek times that still and will always have the power to engage us.

Oedipus Rex is ancient work that still remains popular today. It is one of those works that many of us were forced to read in high school or even college. However, Oedipus Rex can simply be one of those books you can easily read for pleasure. It is a tragic tale of a man who goes through life thinking he is someone that he turns out not to be. Oedipus' life is cursed by an old prophecy that said that he would marry his mother and kill his father, if he was not himself killed as an infant. As it turns out, he is not killed but ends up fulfilling this horrible prophecy. This book has easy to follow dialogue and really gets the readers full attention. Oedipus Rex is a short book that we all can relate to when we are having a bad day or when we feel that nothing is going right for us. After reading this book, you will come to realize that life is nowhere as horrible as that of the tragic hero Oedipus. I encourage everyone who is going through trying times to read this book, and I guarantee it will make him or her feel much better.