Sophocles
Robert Fagles · 1982
Fagles is the one most readers start with, and rightly — clear, speakable English that keeps Sophocles's drive and irony without going slack. Bernard Knox's introduction is itself worth the price, and you get all three plays in one volume. This is where I'd start.
Meineck & Woodruff · 2003
Meineck and Woodruff's Hackett edition pairs a crisp, stage-minded translation with the fullest notes of the affordable options — strong for study or a closer second reading.
David Grene · 1991
David Grene's Chicago version (in the Complete Greek Tragedies) hews close to the Greek. More literal and a touch stiffer than Fagles — the scholar's-shelf choice.
Richard C. Jebb · 1904
Richard Jebb's classic translation is out of copyright and free. Stately and accurate, if dated next to Fagles. Free and complete — fine for sampling.
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