There is little information on Sophocles' life. He was born in Colonus to Sophillus, his father, a weapons and armor manufacturer. His mother is not well known, yet she is believed to have been a midwife. He grew up educated in all the arts and politics. Because of his talent in music he was chosen at age 16 to lead the paean, a choral chant to a god. This particular song celebrated the Greek sea victory over the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. He is known to have held some of the highest political position in Athens such as Treasurer of the Dalian League. He commanded the Athenian fleet with Pericles in its campaign against Samos. In the later years of his life he was a proboulos, which is one of the 10 advisers endowed with special powers of governance. Sophocles had two wives and three sons. Iophon and Sophocles were born to his first wife, Nicostrata and Ariston to his second wife, Theoris.

     His career as a playwright began with his victory over, the master of tragedy, Aeschylus at the Festival of Dionysus in Athens. He is believed to have won about 27 times. He wrote about 128 plays, yet only 7 have been preserved. Aristotle praised him for his creating scene painting, adding a third actor, and his use of the Greek chorus. The majority of his material was taken from Greek myth, yet his characters were more diverse than any of his competitors. He created complex, three-dimensional humans with conflicting situations and human passion.