Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, won more dramatic competitions than any other tragedian, and served as an Athenian general and treasurer. He was also sued by his own sons, who tried to have him declared senile. He responded by reading from his latest masterpiece.

This episode tells the story of a man who dominated Athenian theater for six decades while living a life as dramatic as anything he put on stage.

• How Oedipus Rex became the model of tragic structure for all time
• His military service alongside Pericles
• The lawsuit by his sons and his legendary courtroom defense
• Why Antigone remains one of the most politically charged plays ever written