BIOGRAPHY

    Sophocles was born in 497 BC in Colonos, Athens. Although according to some sources he was the son of an aristocratic family, according to others, he was the son of a knife-maker. He was very handsom and a great athlet. He kept studying the plays of Aeschylus and many times he defeated him in the contests. During his militairy service he attained the rank of General.

    He was teaching three separate tragedies instead of one trilogy. He increased the number of hypocrits(actors) from two to three. He also increased the members of the chorus from 12 to 15. His language was so harmonic and beautiful that Aristoteles said that "honey was dropping of his mouth" At the end of his life he was dragged before the jury by his son Iofon, charged for dementia. In the court he recited a part of his latest work, "Oedipus at Colonus". The judges admired his spirit and found him innocent.

    He died in Athens in 405 BC, after having written 123 dramas, of which only 7 are saved.