Sophocles

Philoctetes Sophocles

Philoctetes is an ancient & classical drama & play by Sophocles. The tragedy was written during the Peloponnesian War and it is one of the seven medieval tragedies of Sophocles to have survived the ravages of time in its complete form. When Heracles was near his death, he wished to be burned on a funeral pyre while still alive. No one but Philoctetes would light the fire, and in return for this favor Heracles gave Philoctetes his bow. Philoctetes left with the others to participate in the Trojan War, but was bitten on the foot by a snake while walking on Chryse, a sacred ground. The bite caused Philoctetes constant agony, and emitted a horrible smell. For this reason he was left by Odysseus on the desert island Lemnos. After ten years pass, the Greeks capture the Trojan seer Helenus, son of Priam. He foretells that they will need the master archer Philoctetes and the bow of Heracles to win the war. Odysseus sails back to Lemnos with Neoptolemus (son of Achilles) to get Philoctetes. The task is not easy, as Philoctetes bitterly hates Odysseus and the Greeks for leaving him on the desert island Lemnos. Philoctetes is a literature & fiction ancient classical medieval tragedy that is often required textbook reading. The Sophocles' drama & play was first performed in 409 BC where it won first prize at the Festival of Dionysus.