The Trachiniaeis one ofSophocles’lesser-known plays, yet it remains a powerful exploration of fate, suffering, and human fallibility. Though its exact date of composition is uncertain, scholars often place it later in the playwright’s career, possibly between 450 and 425 BCE. The play’s title refers to the women of Trachis, the chorus who witness and reflect on the unfolding catastrophe.
The play begins with Deianeira, wife of the absent hero Heracles, expressing...
