Sophocles (ca. 496-406 B.C.) provides the central link that ties together the dramatic careers of the three famous Greek tragedians. As a young playwright he became a rival of Aeschylus (ca. 525-456). Shortly after the latter’s death, Euripides (ca. 485-407) produced his first plays, and the two younger tragedians were rivals for almost fifty years in what was a highly competitive art form. The main theatre festival in Athens, held annually in honor of the god Dionysus, required three tragic playwrights to produce four plays each as part of a competition, three tragedies and a satyr play (a light afterpiece that had a chorus of satyrs). In his over sixty-year theatrical career Sophocles became the preeminent tragedian of the fifth century B.C.
Although our sources vary, Sophocles
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Citation: Beer, Josh (D. G.) . "Sophocles". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 November 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4151, accessed 22 November 2024.]
