Sophocles
Playwright
Ancient Greek · 5th century BCE
Ancient Greek tragedian, author of Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and other canonical plays.
Connection to Taylor Swift
His play Antigone contains the 'shooting the messenger' motif that Uncle Jerry identifies as echoed in The Albatross.
Notable Works
- Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Ajax
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
Antigone
“Shooting the messengers”
Angela & Uncle Jerry note that the phrase 'shooting the messengers' has literary roots in Sophocles' Antigone, where a character says 'no one loves the messenger who brings bad news.' Uncle Jerry identifies this as one of the allusions layered into the first verse.
Podcast analysis