Why is Sophocles so important?

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Sophocles was an important influence on the development of the drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (and thereby reducing the importance of the Chorus in the presentation of the plot) and by developing his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights such as Aeschylus.

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Besides, what is Sophocles best known for?

Sophocles of Kolōnos (c. 496 – c. 406 BCE) was one of the most famous and celebrated writers of tragedy plays in ancient Greece and his surviving works, written throughout the 5th century BCE, include such classics as Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Women of Trachis.

Beside above, what influenced Sophocles? His great Greek epics The Odyssey and The Iliad profoundly influenced Sophocles. An anonymous biographer of the time called him “the pupil of Homer” — suggesting that Sophocles‘ great power came to him from the greatest of Greek poets. Sophocles probably also studied under the Greek playwright Aeschylus.

Thereof, how did Sophocles change the world?

Sophocles changed Greek drama by killing the chorus. Although the device was still used in the playwright’s works, its size and importance was significantly reduced when he introduced the third actor. This revolutionary change was so popular that even his revered predecessor, Aeschylus, adopted the convention.

What is considered Sophocles greatest work?

Of Sophocles‘ more than 120 plays, only seven have survived in their entirety. Of these, Oedipus the King is generally considered his greatest work. A masterful work of plot and suspense, Oedipus the King is often heralded as a “perfectly structured” play.


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