Sophocles (early 5th century BC–406 BC; Greek: Σοφοκλης) was an ancient Greek playwright, dramatist, priest, and politician of Athens. He was as well the general for the Athenian Empire in the Peloponnesian Wars, and in a period of his service he lead a battle against the Peloponnesian Island of Samos. He is another time referred to as a Attic Bee for the "sweetness of his productions." Sophocles is the 2nd, chronologically, of the trinity groovy Greek tragedians; he was several decades immature than Aeschylus and a decade or even thus older than Euripides, and was typically inside competition using each inside spectacular contests.

A month of his birth is contested, sustaining 488 BC, 495 BC, and 496 BC each having advocates. 495 BC nevertheless is favorite by virtually all eminent historiographer. He is virtually all noted for his prolific playwriting. He wrote 123 plays; in the striking competitions of the Festival of Dionysus (where from each of these submission by one creator consisted of quaternity plays), he won additional 1st prizes (in Xx) than any more dramatist, & no record of his ever with ranked beneath 2nd place.

Numerous scholars, including Aristotle, considered Sophocles to be a greatest dramatist within ancient Greek theatre. Notwithstanding, of the hundreds of works he produced around his life-time, merely vii tragedies hold out in their complete forms, along by using around half of the satyr play. (Sixty to 90 others survive within fragments). A best known of his surviving works come his celebrated three Theban plays, the tragedies surrounding Oedipus and Antigone.

Life
Sophocles was innate all about the mile northwest of Athens in the rural deme (small community) of Colonus Hippius in Attica. His birth pass 5 years prior to a Battle of Marathon, and 15 prior to a Battle of Salamis. His father, Sophilos (occasionally "Sophillus"), was the affluent merchandiser. Occasionally historiographer speculate that Sophilos was the carpenter, smith, or swordmaker; the majority suppose he ran a select few kinda armaments business or mill that listed population of numbers of occupations.

As a son, Sophocles was educated in the arts and at a palaestra. He won awards inside wrestling and music, & was said to exist as elegant and handsome. At a age of xvi, he was chosen to lead a chorus of naked boys (paean) at a Athenian celebration of the triumph against the Persians at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC.

Twelve years late, Sophocles number 1 entered a Festival of Dionysus with his play The Triptolemos. He took 1st prize, defeating possibly Aeschylus. Amazingly, Sophocles's best known play, Oedipus the King, only won 2nd place.

Within 440, Sophocles was elected as one of a 10 strategoi (military commanders) of Athens.

Surviving works
Years come approximate

The Theban plays
442 BC Antigone 427 BC Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannos) 407 BC Oedipus at Colonus

Other plays
445 BC Ajax 413 BC The Trachiniae 410 BC Electra 410 BC Philoctetes

Fragmentary plays
5th century BC The Tracking Satyrs 5th century BC The Progeny

Fragments of The Tracking Satyrs (Ichneutae) were discovered inside Egypt in 1907. These are one of merely deuce recovered satyr plays.

Fragments of The Progeny (Epigonoi) were discovered around April 2005 by classicists at Oxford University with the support of infrared technology previously utilized for satellite imaging. A tragedy tells a story of the siege of Thebes. A fragment translates to the below:

Trivia
An asteroid, 2921 Sophocles, was named when him.