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Sophocles

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, famous for masterpieces like Oedipus Rex and Antigone, often invoked in classical poetry.

Detailed Definition
Sophocles was one of the great tragedians of ancient Greece, known for plays such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Arnold invokes him to connect the sound of the sea with classical tragedy and human suffering.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Sophocles long ago / Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought / Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow / Of human misery” — Matthew Arnold, “Dover Beach”; Sophocles was the fifth-century BCE Athenian tragedian; Arnold imagines him hearing the same sea sound across time; the reference links Greek tragedy to modern spiritual uncertainty; Sophocles’ plays, including Antigone and Oedipus Rex, explore suffering and fate
Additional Notes
The name “Sophocles” appears as a literary-historical reference, and readers may need to identify who he was.; Found in the poem, Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
Also Known As
Sophoclean Tragic Poet Theban Playwright Ancient Dramatist
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