Oedipus the King

Sophocles' book "Oedipus the King" is one of the masterpieces of universal literature. Hence the interest it has always aroused in the Western world since its first performance in Athens in 430 AD. The famous legend of King Oedipus, brilliantly crafted by Sophocles, is still read with emotion today. "Oedipus the King" is the story of the hero who fights against the invisible forces of Destiny and Fate, but is ultimately defeated and inexorably destroyed by them. Sophocles conducts the dramatic action and weaves the events with admirable mastery. The events unfold naturally, linearly, keeping the reader, or viewer, in growing anticipation until the denouement. The work contains vigorous, vibrant dialogue, some of which flashes with irony and bursts with anger. They clearly reflect the feelings and character of the characters. The Chorus, for example, represents the voice of the people, expressing their impressions of events, offering moral reflections, offering advice, expressing their concerns, invoking the help of the gods, extolling the deeds of Oedipus, and lamenting the misfortunes that befall their friendly king, a victim of Fatality. TRANSLATOR Domingos Paschoal Cegalla was born in 1920 and graduated in Classics from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters of Paraná. He taught Portuguese, Literature, and Latin in Curitiba, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, where he has lived since 1953. He is the author of several didactic works, including "Novisima Grammática da Língua Portuguesa" (The New Grammar of the Portuguese Language). As a poet, he published "Song of Eurydice" and "A Cry in the Desert," and as a translator, he translated directly from the Greek "Oedipus the King," "Antigone," and "Electra."