Rating: 
Summary: Different to what i thought!
Review: I had to read this book for Literature. It was actually heaps better than i thought. i thought that it would be really boring and so totally out of date. But when i read it i realised it was actually quite relevant to the 90's. Sophocles is a really excellent writer and i'm soooo glad that i read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Way better than I thought
Review: I had to read this for my english class, and at first I wasn't planning on actually reading it, but i began to skim and didnt put it down until it was over. It was fast paced, and had a great plot outline and theme...one everyone can relate to, human destiny., Enjoy...and by the way the only reason i gave it four instead of five was due to the mere fact that i read it a 2 in the morning.
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Summary: Oedipus The King was an amazing play the whole way through.
Review: I loved it. In many books, you can experience dry phases where reading it seems more of a chore than a pleasure. In Oedipus The King, I didn't put it down once, it kept me interested the entire time. The plot was so intricate and complicated, yet so simple to follow, I never had to stop to re-read anything. I rarely ever read plays,...I may have found a new hobby.
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Summary: Dynamic, playable translation
Review: I used this adaptation of Sophocles' masterpiece for an outdoor production complete with masks. Dynamic! Lively! Exciting! Alive! Highly accessible to audiences and actors alike. This adaptation avoids all of the "stuffiness" too often associated with traditional translations. I highly recommend it as a new look at an important dramatic work.
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Summary: This is a great book
Review: I would like to say that I have read this book and I think that this is not boring at all and tells us a lot about the olden days in Greece. This is a great tragedy and it is indeed very interesting to read.
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Summary: Sophacles' Masterpiece
Review: Oedipus has certainly become famous in both the theater as well as in psychology. To just know the Freudian term does not justify the greatness of this play. As Aristotle deems this the "perfect play," which still is valid in todays drama. This particular edition translated by Bernard Knox also includes photos of ancient Greek artwork as well as a head of Sophacles with an introduction to the history of the play. A great read for literature and play lovers!
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Summary: Oedipus review
Review: Oedipus was a weird book to reab, because the plot was all twisted. The characters in the book are nasty. Oedipus kills his father and has two kids with his mother.....
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Summary: This is a tragedy
Review: The central statement of Greek tragedy is that Man can not control his Destiny; that there is an ineluctable Fate, preordained and inescapable. No matter how much the poor humans fight against it, it must be fulfilled. And there is no character as tragic as Oedipus in all literature. In this play, we see Oedipus as a successful man who has become King of Thebes, happily married to an older woman named Iocasta. As the play unfolds, we can feel the proximity of something terrible indeed. When the blind sage Tiresias starts to unfold the true story of Oedipus, we can creepily feel the sheer horror that grips him, as he learns that he has killed his father and married his mother, unknowingly. I have no notice of any other plot that can be described as more tragic than this one. Besides, it is one of the main sources of our culture, as with all true Classics. Oedipus summarizes some of our worst fears and traumas: the need to "kill the paternal figure", the "dependency on our mother", the "impossibility of control external forces that shape our fate". It is horrific and fascinating, and there is simply no way to be indifferent to it.
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Summary: Naxos recording perhaps a bit too modern
Review: The only budget series of audio books and recorded drama comes from Naxos. One of their more recent entries is a very modern version of Sophocles' <Oedipus Rex> in a translation by Duncan Steen. In fact, some might find it a little too modern with its use of idiomatic expressions such as "You can't pin that on me"--which might be taken as an ironic reference to the final horrible deed of the hero. But when the messenger the agonized Oedipus as calling himself a "mother f..." (although he stops at the "f") the effect is far too "modern" for comfort. You see, given a sound recording, we can only assume that the action is taking place in the nearly prehistoric past. I do not know the tone of Sophocles' Greek; but I do read that it is elegant and decorous. Therefore, I can only assume that this translator is doing his source a great injustice. On the other hand, the dialogue MOVES. There is an excitement to this performance, although the Creon of Adam Kotz lacks some force. Michael Sheen is good in the title role, as is Nichola McAuliffe as Jocasta, Heathcote Williams as the Chorus Leader, and John Moffatt as Tiresias and the Narrator at the start of the recording. The Chorus itself is cut down to four voices, but they are handled nicely with stereo separation and are quite comprehensible. The music is meager but effectively used. All in all, a very good if not perfect attempt at making one of the greatest Western plays accessible to a wide audience.
Rating:
Summary: Naxos recording perhaps a bit too modern
Review: The only budget series of audio books and recorded drama comes from Naxos. One of their more recent entries is a very modern version of Sophocles' <Oedipus Rex> in a translation by Duncan Steen. In fact, some might find it a little too modern with its use of idiomatic expressions such as "You can't pin that on me"--which might be taken as an ironic reference to the final horrible deed of the hero. But when the messenger the agonized Oedipus as calling himself a "mother f..." (although he stops at the "f") the effect is far too "modern" for comfort. You see, given a sound recording, we can only assume that the action is taking place in the nearly prehistoric past. I do not know the tone of Sophocles' Greek; but I do read that it is elegant and decorous. Therefore, I can only assume that this translator is doing his source a great injustice. On the other hand, the dialogue MOVES. There is an excitement to this performance, although the Creon of Adam Kotz lacks some force. Michael Sheen is good in the title role, as is Nichola McAuliffe as Jocasta, Heathcote Williams as the Chorus Leader, and John Moffatt as Tiresias and the Narrator at the start of the recording. The Chorus itself is cut down to four voices, but they are handled nicely with stereo separation and are quite comprehensible. The music is meager but effectively used. All in all, a very good if not perfect attempt at making one of the greatest Western plays accessible to a wide audience.
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