Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus is one of the best-known of all ancient tragedies. A history of its far-reaching and diverse impact can be documented in both European and non-European literature. For Aristotle, this drama represented the ultimate model of tragedy, and it has remained a significant element in the theory of tragedy to this day. In addition, there have been and continue to be major controversies concerning the meaning of the drama and its textual structure.

This edition presents Oedipus Tyrannus as a critically revised Greek text with a new German translation, and includes a comprehensive introduction and continuous commentary. The introduction includes a history of the textual material prior to Sophocles’s version and takes up contentious issues concerning the interpretation and reception of the drama. The commentary relates to the translated text and is designed to be fully accessible to readers with no knowledge of Ancient Greek. In addition, for those readers who wish to refer to the Greek text or start out from it, there are concise linguistic and critical textual explanations, as well as metrical analyses of the chorus passages.