Philoctetes

Sophocles, 495？ BCE-406 BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 72K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Philoktetes by Sophocles. Author: Sophocles, 495? BCE–406 BCE. Language: English. Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature. Release Date: Feb 1, 1997

Editor's review

Sophocles' Philoktetes is a Greek tragedy distinguished by its focus on character situation and moral dilemma. The play revolves around the archer Philoktetes, abandoned on a lonely island, as Odysseus and Neoptolemos, son of Achilles, are sent to take his divine bow, so that the tension between deception, persuasion, and conscience runs throughout. Readers can see the conflict between the ethics of war, personal suffering, and the interests of the city, and can also appreciate Sophocles' meticulous portrayal of character psychology. This Project Gutenberg edition is an English-translation ebook; it is short and suitable as an introductory text for understanding the structure and rhetoric of Athenian tragedy, and also for reading alongside plays such as Ajax and Oedipus to observe how Sophocles handles the dignity of marginal figures. When reading, pay attention to the role of the chorus and the logic of persuasion in the characters' dialogue.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient Greek tragedy and classical literature
Students in the humanities who need to understand the origins and structure of Western drama
Readers concerned with issues of war ethics and personal circumstance

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern-novel-style plot momentum and fast-paced narrative
Readers with no English reading ability who have not prepared a parallel translation

Reading tips

Read the plot summary and character relationships first before entering the text, to avoid being interrupted by mythological names.
Pay attention to the dialogue between Odysseus and Neoptolemos, and observe how persuasion and conscience clash.
After reading, compare with other Sophoclean tragedies and compare his methods of characterization.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the main conflict of this work?

The core conflict is whether to take Philoktetes and his divine bow away by deception. Odysseus advocates any means for the sake of victory in war, Neoptolemos is troubled by conscience, and Philoktetes himself struggles between the pain of abandonment and the temptation to return to the community.

Is this edition suitable for beginners?

As a public-domain English ebook, it is short and clearly structured, suitable for beginners to understand the basic form of ancient Greek tragedy. But there are many mythological backgrounds and names, so it is advisable to read a concise introduction or plot summary first before entering the text.

What background knowledge is needed when reading?

It is enough to understand the basic outline of the Trojan War, the origin of the divine bow, and the reason Philoktetes was abandoned. In addition, knowing that ancient Greek tragedy consists of alternating dialogue and choral odes helps in understanding how the text is arranged.

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About the author

Sophocles, 495？ BCE-406 BCE Author

Sophocles (c. 495 BCE–406 BCE) was one of the three great tragedians of ancient Greece. Thirteen of his works are held here, including Antigone, Oedipus the King, Elektra, Oedipus at Colonus, Plays of Sophocles, and The Seven Plays in English Verse. His plays draw mainly on myth and heroic legend; they are tightly structured, with compact plotting and vivid characters, and his choruses and dialogue work in close harmony. He excelled at portraying human choice and suffering amid conflicts of fate and ethics, and the discovery and reversal in Oedipus the King have been especially admired by later ages. These works have deeply influenced the Western dramatic tradition and are still read, translated, and performed today. Because public information is limited, details of his life are omitted here.