Edited by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, 1910
In Sophocles’ drama, King Oedipus rules over Thebes. When the city is threatened by a plague, he desperately searches for the culprit. In his search, he uncovers a terrible secret: he himself has killed his father and unknowingly married his mother. The tragedy shows how the human quest for truth and control meets with inescapable fate.
Edited by Karl Gustav Vollmoeller, 1905
Aeschylus’ “Oresteia” depicts a dark family drama: King Agamemnon returns victorious from Troy – but his wife Clytemnestra murders him in revenge for sacrificing their daughter. Their son Orestes, driven by duty and guilt, in turn kills his mother. The play culminates in a court of the gods that replaces retribution with justice, marking the transition from bloody revenge to civilized justice.
The play is a modern mystery play about the death of a rich, selfish man. The wealthy Everyman leads a wicked life and is unexpectedly summoned by the Death to appear before God’s court. In his final hour, his lovers, friends, and relatives abandon him, and he realizes that all material possessions are fleeting. At the last minute, he finds faith, repents his sins, and is saved by God’s grace.
