The Oresteia

by Aeschylus
ISBN: 9780226007724
4.5 (2)
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Used - Trade Paperback - 9780226007724

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Overview

Highly acclaimed as translators of Greek and Sanskrit classics, respectively, David Grene and Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty here present a complete modern translation of the three plays comprising Aeschylus' Orestia and, with the assistance of director Nicholas Rudall, an abridged stage adaptation. This blanced and highly successful collaboration of scholars with a theater director solves the contemporary problems of translating and staging the Orestia, which originally was written to be performed in Athens in the first half of the fifth century B.C. While remaning faithful to the original Greek, Grene and O'Flaherty embrace a strong and adventurous English style, vivid and visceral. The language of this extraordinary translation, immediately accessible to a theater audience, speaks across the centuries. Premiered at Chicago's Court Theater in 1986 under Rudall's direction, the stage adaptation of the Orestia proved eminently playable. This new adaptation of the orestia offers a brilliant demonstration of how clearly defined goals (here, the actor's needs) can inspire translators to produce fresh, genuine, accessible dramatic texts. The resulting work provides complete and accurate texts for those who cannot read the original Greek, and it transforms the Orestia into an effective modern stage play. With interpretive introductions written by the translators and director, this new version will be welcomed by teachers of translation courses, by students of Greek and world drama in general, and by theater professionals.
  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Aeschylus
  • ISBN: 9780226007724
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.52 x 0.75
  • Number Of Pages: 257
  • Publication Year: 1989

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  • What Does it Mean to Wonder?

    Jennifer P. - 2 years 1 month ago

    The Oresteia follows the story of Orestes, who has killed his mother in an act of revenge for the murder of his father, slain by his mother and her lover. The father, King Agamemnon, had martyred his daughter to the gods to ensure safe travel for his armies to Troy. The three-part play follows several of the assassinations, their immediate political and familial impacts, and the societal response to the drama of the nobility. The final play is where the magic really happens; Orestes, chased by the fates for his murder of his mother, is met by them and Athena, who intervenes. The plays are ultimately about the complexity of fate, duty, and sacrifice, bringing into question centuries-old but still relevant questions about cosmic responsibility and the nonstop wheel of consequence. Beautifully written with a rich philosophical undertone, these plays are great to ponder over for weeks after reading.

    HPB Staff Review

  • Blood Re-Vengeance: Revelations

    George L. - 7 years 9 months ago

    Pick up Robert Fagles' Oresteia: a trilogy of plays by ancient Athens' most celebrated tragedian in a poetic English translation. Featuring some of the most violent imagery ever dramatized, the trilogy depicts a cursed family's descent into a miasma of murder, insanity, and never-ending vengeance that seemingly nothing can stop.

    HPB Staff Review