Reading order
The Theban Plays reading order
3- 7.47.4 / 10296 ratings
- Score
- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- -441–-401
- Published
- about 5 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
Quick answer
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Publication order
3 volumes-441–-401Completed
- Sophocles’ three tragedies about Oedipus and his family were written decades apart and never meant as a trilogy: Antigone came first, around 441 BC, and Oedipus at Colonus last, staged after his death.
- In story order they run Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, which is how most editions print them.
- Each is short and stands alone; Antigone is the most read.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 298 pages, about 5 hours. At 45 min a day that is 7 days.
Stages
This series fits in one stage. You finish around November 5, 2026.
- Stage 15 h7 daysby November 5, 2026
- 1. Oedipus Rex
- 2. Oedipus at Colonus
- 3. Antigone
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Which The Theban Plays book is the longest?
“Oedipus at Colonus” is the longest at 131 pages; the shortest is “Oedipus Rex” with 66 pages.