These English versions of Sophocles' trilogy were composed specifically for a modern audience by two gifted poets and Hellenists. Their aim was to recapture the directness and simplicity as well as the concentrated richness of the poetry of Sophcles; they wished at the same time to make their verse renderings of the plays "clear and credible in English" and actable as well as readable. The critical acclaim with which these versions have been received both in the United States and in Great Britain indicates that Mr. Fitts and Mr. Fitzgerald have achieved their aim.