Sophocles stands as one of the greatest dramatists of all time, influencing a vast array of artists and thinkers over the centuries. Disturbing and unrelenting, his tragedies portray what Matthew Arnold referred to as 'the turbid ebb and flow of human misery', allowing the audience to stand on the verge of the abyss and confront the waste and disorder of human existence. The heroic myths reinterpreted in the playslocate them within a world in which theextremes of human emotion in its darkest hours can be freely explored. It is, however, the creativity of Sophocles' plays which prevents them f.Abstract: This original and distinctive verse translation of four of Sophocles' plays conveys the vitality of his poetry and the vigour of the plays as performed showpieces, encouraging the reader to relishthe sound of the spoken verse and the potential for song within the lyrics.