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Sophocles Facts & Worksheets

Sophocles was one of ancient Greece's most famous and revered tragedy playwrights.

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Sophocles was one of ancient Greece’s most famous and revered tragedy playwrights. His preserved works, produced throughout the 5th century BCE, include masterpieces such as Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Women of Trachis.

See the fact file below for more information on Sophocles, or you can download our 26-page Sophocles worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PERSONAL LIFE

  • Sophocles, the son of Sophillus, was a wealthy citizen of Hippeios Colonus, a rural deme (small village) in Attica. He was most likely born a few years before the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE:  most likely 497/6.
  • Sophocles had been the leading dancer in the celebrations of triumph over the Persians in 479 BCE as a child. He even appeared in his own plays early in his career, but due to a poor voice, he had to settle for the role of playwright exclusively.
  • He was educated in music, sports, and dance, and at the age of fifteen, he was selected to conduct the paean (hymn of praise) sung by the boys’ chorus following the victory at Salamis.
  • His first creative victory came in 468 BCE, when he won first prize in the Dionysia, defeating Aeschylus, the reigning expert of Athenian play.
  • Sophocles was also keen on political and military issues in Athens. Because of his practical linguistic abilities, he took part in discussions with Chios and Samos allies. He was a commander during the Peloponnesian War. 
  • In 435 BCE, he was the head of the administration of the Allies’ treasure, stored on the Acropolis. In 413 BCE, when the issue of giving the state an oligarchical constitution emerged, he was on the preliminary investigation commission.

ARTISTIC APPROACH

  • Sophocles, well-known in his own time, was also an innovative writer since he introduced a third actor to the tragedy play structure and was the first to use painted scenery, at times altering scenery during the play. 
  • The employment of three actors was a significant development since it facilitated far more complex narratives. Sophocles was more concerned with realistic action but preserved the chorus as a more participating cast member. 
  • For him, the chorus became the play’s protagonist and a commentator on the action, establishing a stronger connection to the audience.
  • Sophocles was also a master of dramatic metaphor, and generally, his work attempted to interfere with the audience’s understanding of what was ‘normal’ and what was not. 
  • He also employed dramatic actor entrances and exits, and the recurrent employment of key props, to express significance and emphasis. 
  • Finally, Sophocles utilized highly formalized language, but with flexibility incorporated by running over phrases and inserting portions of more ‘natural’ words, as well as the distinctive use of pauses.

WORKS – Theban Plays

  • The Theban plays are three plays set in Thebes during the thirteenth century BCE, written in about 442 or 430s BCE – Antigone, followed by Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) probably 10 to 15 years later, and Oedipus at Colonus around 405 BCE.
  • The three plays tell the story of Oedipus, who unknowingly murders his father and weds his mother. Three generations of his family have been cursed.
  • Oedipus Rex – The main character is Oedipus. Laius and Jocasta plan to get rid of him in order to prevent the Delphic Oracle that says Oedipus would kill his father and wed his mother. 
  • The servant in charge of the infanticide, however, gives the boy to a childless couple, who adopt him. After discovering the prophecy, Oedipus makes an effort to escape his fate. 
  • At a crossroads, Oedipus encounters a man, and the two engage in combat. He kills his opponent (his true father, Laius). After deciphering the Sphinx‘s riddle, he takes control of Thebes and marries his mother, Jocasta, the widowed queen.
  • Oedipus at Colonus – the exiled Oedipus and his daughter Antigone reach Colonus and run into Theseus, the king of Athens. After Oedipus’s death, his sons Polyneices and Eteocles start feuding for the throne. They killed each other.
  • Antigone – She must decide whether to bury her brother Polyneices or to leave his body outside where it would be at the mercy of wild creatures and the elements.
  • King Creon forbade Polyneices’ burial since he deserted the city. Despite this, Antigone resolves to bury his body. Creon hands her the death penalty but is convinced to pardon Antigone’s sentence, but Antigone ends her life. His son and wife thus ended their lives after the tragedy.

WORKS – Ajax

  • A conflict erupted between Odysseus and Ajax over who should inherit Achilles’ armor after his passing. 
  • The armor was finally given to Odysseus by the Trojan prisoners, who voted for the one who caused the most destruction during the Trojan War. Ajax was furious with the Greek kings Menelaus and Agamemnon and swore to murder them, but the goddess Athena tricked him, preventing him from carrying out his threat.
  • She has deceived Ajax into thinking that the Greek commanders are actually the sheep and livestock the Greeks took as spoils of war. He kills and dismembers several of them while torturing the others, including a ram he mistakenly thinks is his biggest competitor, Odysseus.
  • Ajax finds himself shocked and ashamed of his behavior when he eventually comes to his senses and feels ashamed of himself. This led to his suicide.

OTHER WORKS

  • In addition to the three Theban plays and Ajax, there are other surviving plays by Sophocles: Electra (410 BCE), Philoctetes (409 BCE), and Women of Trachis (c. 450–425 BCE).
  • Though there are over 120 plays with Sophocles’ titles attached, only fragments of many of them have survived. Some of them are: 
    • Aegeus – based on an ancient deity from Athens’ myth. The father of Theseus was the “goat-man” who gave the Aegean Sea its name.
    • Triptolemos – It was among the plays he wrote for the City Dionysia in 468 BCE, the year he first took home the festival’s tragedy prize. However, this was lost.
    • Inachos – Only a few papyrus fragments from the play Inachos, most likely a satyr play, were discovered in Egypt at Oxyrhynchus and Tebtunis. It is about the suffering caused by Zeus‘s unrequited love for his daughter Io.
    • Tereus – Another lost play that has its fragments and synopsis discovered only recently.
    • Other fragmented pieces found: Tyndareus, Mousai (Muses), Crisis (Judgement), Aleadae (The Sons of Aleus), Helenes Apaitesis (Helen’s Demand), Poimenes (The Shepherds), etc.

Sophocles Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Sophocles across 26 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Sophocles. Sophocles was one of ancient Greece’s most famous and revered tragedy playwrights. His preserved works, produced throughout the 5th century BCE, include masterpieces such as Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Women of Trachis.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Sophocles Facts
  2. Illustrated Tragedy
  3. Philoctetes
  4. Electra
  5. Women of Trachis
  6. Theater of Greece
  7. Reverse Tragedy
  8. Tragic but Wise
  9. The Tragic Playwrights
  10. Writing a Tragedy
  11. Tragic Script

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Sophocles?

Sophocles was a Greek playwright and one of the three major tragedians of classical Athens.

When did Sophocles live?

Sophocles lived from around 496 BC to 406 BC.

What are some of Sophocles’ famous plays?

Sophocles’ famous plays include “Oedipus Rex,” “Antigone,” and “Electra.”

What is Sophocles known for in his plays?

Sophocles is known for his exploration of complex human emotions and moral dilemmas, as well as his skillful use of dramatic irony.

What is the significance of Sophocles’ works?

Sophocles’ works are considered among the greatest achievements in Western drama and have had a profound influence on subsequent playwrights and theatrical traditions.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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