Ancient Fiction & Literature Classics, Classics By Subject, Ancient Greek & Roman Drama

The Oresteia: Agamemnon, the Libation-Bearers & the Furies

Name: The Oresteia: Agamemnon, the Libation-Bearers & the Furies
Author: Aeschylus
ISBN: 9780140443332

by Aeschylus, Robert Fagles (Translator), W. B. Stanford (Introduction), W. B. Stanford (Noted by), W. B. Stanford

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Overview

In the Oresteia -- the only trilogy in Greek drama that survives from antiquity -- Aeschylus took as his subject the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration.

Synopsis

Classic trilogy by great tragedian concerns the bloody history of the House of Atreus. Grand style, rich diction and dramatic dialogue. Still powerful after 2500 years.

Booknews

Translators Grene and O'Flaherty present a modern translation of the three plays composing the Oresteia and, with the assistance of director Nicholas Rudall, an abridged stage adaptation which transforms the Oresteia into an effective modern stage play. Includes introductory material. Cloth edition ($32.50). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About the Author, Aeschylus

Hugh Lloyd-Jones is Regius Professor of Greek Emeritus at the University of Oxford and author of, among many titles, The Justice of Zeus (California, 1971).

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Editorials

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Kirkus Reviews

Though it's tempting to imagine the late English poet laureate's long tortured relationship with the image of (his wife) feminist heroine Sylvia Plath as its subtext, this vivid free-verse translation of Aeschylus' dark and bloody tragic trilogy (comprising Agamemnon, Choephori, and Eumenides) more properly evinces Hughes's wide range of interests and mastery of classic literatures. His nearly conversational rhythms produce an arresting mixture of colloquialism and formality, enlivened by strong imagery (as in the matricidal Orestes' declaration that "This house has been the goblet / That the demon of homicide, unquenchable, / Has loved to drain"), and only infrequently weakened by astonishing woodenness—as in Clytemnestra's cool reply to the Chorus who lament her murder of her husband: "You think I'm an irresponsible woman? / You are making a mistake"). Perhaps not the ultimate "acting edition" it claims to be, but, still, an essential further installment in the always interesting oeuvre of a gifted poet who was also a diligent scholar.