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Sophocles (circa 497 - 406 BCE)

Author of Oedipus the King and six other extant tragedies, Sophocles was a highly successful playwright, winning the dramatic competition of the Greater Dionysia in Athens eighteen times. He defeated the famous Aeschylus in the competition in 468 BCE. Aristotle regards Oedipus as one of the finest examples of the tragic genre.