The opening scene of Philoctetes appears to have two action planes, but really has three. It begins with Odysseus setting the scene fo...

The spare theatrical texture of Sophocles' Philoctetes is the sign of a playwright who has encountered complexity. It teases us into th...

Freshly back from Antarctica, Arline points us to Wikipedia's article about Sophocles'  Philoctetes . Besides offering a helpful su...

λείπου   μηδὲ   σύ ,  παρθέν᾽ ,  ἀπ᾽   οἴκων ,  μεγάλους   μὲν   ἰδοῦσα   νέους   θανάτους ,  πολλὰ   δὲ   πήματα   καὶ   καινοπαθῆ , ...

ὧν   ἐγὼ   μεθύστερον ,  ὅτ᾽   οὐκέτ᾽   ἀρκεῖ ,  τὴν   μάθησιν   ἄρνυμαι . 710-11 . . .too late for it to be any use, I reap the know...