Philoctetes

The Trojan War has been raging for nine long years.

Desperate for victory and a return home, the Greeks have been told by a seer that there is only one way to defeat Troy: the great archer Philoctetes and his magical bow must be returned from exile.

The Greek army had abandoned Philoctetes years earlier on the remote island of Lemnos after he was bitten by a snake and afflicted by a mysterious illness on the way to Troy. Now, it falls to Odysseus and the young officer Neoptolemus to travel back to Lemnos and trick Philoctetes into joining the battle against the Trojans. But when Neoptolemus confronts his quarry, he finds his task more difficult than anticipated.
Sophocles

Sophocles' play is a timeless story of deception, loyalty and betrayal. This vital and accessible new translation by Brian Doeries brings it powerfully to life.


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The Greek tragic dramatist Sophocles was born at Colonus near Athens about 496 B.C. He was from a good family, well educated, conservative, and highly respected by his fellow Athenians, whom he served as a general His first dramatic production, in 46, won the prize over Aeschylus's, then regarded as the master.Aristotle, in his Poetics, praised Sophocles above other tragedians and regarded his masterpiece, OEDIPUS THE KING, as a model for Greek tragedy. Although Sophocles wrote over 120 plays a mere seven complete plays survive (plus half a light satyr play, some fragments, and ninety titles). He died at the age of ninety.



Bryan Doerries is a writer, director, and translator, and the founder of Theater of War, a project that presents readings of ancient Greek plays to service members, veterans, caregivers, and families to help them initiate conversations about the visible and invisible wounds of war. He is also the cofounder of Outside the Wire, a social impact company that uses theater and a variety of other media to address pressing public health and social issues, such as combat-related psychological injury, end-of-life care, prison reform, domestic violence, political violence, recovery from natural and man-made disasters, and the destigmatization of substance abuse and addiction. A self-described evangelist for classical literature and its relevance to our lives today, Doerries uses age-old approaches to help individuals and communities heal from suffering and loss. For more information about his work, please visit: www.outsidethewirellc.com.