Sophocles (496 BCE – 405 BCE) was one of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, together with Aeschylus and Euripides. Only seven of his approximately 123 plays have survived complete. The most well known are the three tragedies concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as the Theban plays or The Oedipus Cycle, although they do not make up a single trilogy. In the dramatic competitions of the Festival of Dionysus he won about 20 first prizes, more than any other playwright, and placed second in nearly all others he participated in. His first victory was in 468, although scholars are no longer certain that this was the first time that he competed. (modified from Wikipedia article)