The ancient myth of Oedipus, which still reverberates to this day, provided Sophocles with material for three great tragedies--Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone--that together recount the downfall of Oedipus, king of Thebes, his death in exile, and the action carried out after his death by his daughter Antigone.

These English translations of Sophocles's trilogy were written for a modern audience by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Their aim was to capture the directness, simplicity, and concentrated richness of Sophocles's plays in clear, credible English verse that is both readable and actable. The resulting works have received critical acclaim worldwide.