Greek · -496–-406
Sophocles perfected Athenian tragedy during the golden age of Greek drama, winning more first prizes at the City Dionysia than any other playwright. He introduced the third actor to the stage, expanded the chorus, and brought psychological depth to his characters that still resonates today. Of his 120 plays, only seven survive complete, including Oedipus Rex, which Aristotle considered the perfect tragedy. His Theban plays—Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone—explore fate, free will, and the collision between divine law and human authority. Freud named his most famous complex after Sophocles' doomed king.