Sophocles

Born around 496 BCE at Colonus near Athens, Sophocles became one of the most celebrated tragedians of ancient Greece. Ancient sources and standard reference works describe him alongside Aeschylus and Euripides as one of the three great playwrights of classical Athens.

He is said to have written more than 120 plays, though only seven survive complete, among them Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra, and Philoctetes. His work is often praised for strong dramatic structure, vivid characters, and the way it balances divine fate with deeply human emotion.

Sophocles was also active in Athenian public life, not only on the stage. He lived roughly from 496 to 406 BCE, and his influence has lasted for more than two millennia, with his tragedies continuing to be read, performed, and adapted around the world.