Sophocles

Sophocles was one of the three great tragedians of fifth-century Athens, alongside Aeschylus, under whom he is said to have studied, and Euripides; he was the most successful of the three in his own lifetime, never placing lower than second in some 123 plays written for the City Dionysia. He is credited with adding a third actor to Greek drama, allowing more complex plots and interaction than Aeschylus's. Only seven of his tragedies survive complete, among them Oedipus Rex, Antigone and Electra, his retelling of Agamemnon's murder and its aftermath. He also served Athens off the stage, in the military and on embassies to foreign states.