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Four Tragedies: Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes (The Complete Greek Tragedies: U of Chicago Press)
Meineck and Woodruff's new annotated translations of Sophocles' Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, and Philoctetes combine the same standards of accuracy, concision, clarity, and powerful speech that have so often made their Theban Plays a source of epiphany in the classroom and of understanding in the theatre. Woodruff's Introduction offers a brisk and stimulating discussio...more
Paperback, 267 pages
Published
September 7th 2007
by Hackett Publishing Company
(first published -420)
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Heady stuff. Greeks put in hard places by the events of the Trojan war. They are on the periphery, and the main guys like Odysseus play cameo roles in these plays. They are like spinoffs of Homer's great works, the Iliad and Odyssey, hundreds of years later, in the 400s before Christ.
Fate and loss of honor are big themes. What do we do when fate turns against us so that we lose our reputation, stumble and fall? For Ajax, it led to cynicism. "Most men have found friendship a treacherous harbor."...more
Fate and loss of honor are big themes. What do we do when fate turns against us so that we lose our reputation, stumble and fall? For Ajax, it led to cynicism. "Most men have found friendship a treacherous harbor."...more
Oct 08, 2011
Keeley
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants to learn about ancient Greek literature
Shelves:
academicserious,
poetryanddrama
For most people, the name Sophocles is synonymous with Oedipus. Yet, both as a reader of literature and a classical educator, I prefer the non-Oedipus plays of Sophocles, the Ajax in particular. These translations of the plays dealing with Ajax, Hercules, Electra and Philoctetes, edited by Richmond Lattimore and David Grene, are accessible, intelligible, and faithful to the original. I have used this translation many times with students and highly recommend it to someone who wants to read Sophoc...more
Sophocles wrote emotionally moving plays that depict powerful collisions between two conflicting views on honor and morality. With the exception of Electra, each play ends with the two warring sides transcending their polarized viewpoints and reaching a resolution together. This resolution is triggered by the counsel of an outside influence, be it another character who shows up fashionably late or a ghost come back from the dead.
This exploration of conflict has a few recurring themes. Sometimes...more
This exploration of conflict has a few recurring themes. Sometimes...more
Note: This is a joint review with Jean-Paul Sartre's The Flies (which is in his Two Plays, with In Camera being the second)
Although there are four plays in this book I didn’t get much out of the first one as I began it, so jumped across and just decided to read Electra.
I found this very interesting for the use of deception to give oneself an advantage about the situation one is entering before admitting one’s alliance with another. But this is an example given by the gods in some plays, just as...more
Although there are four plays in this book I didn’t get much out of the first one as I began it, so jumped across and just decided to read Electra.
I found this very interesting for the use of deception to give oneself an advantage about the situation one is entering before admitting one’s alliance with another. But this is an example given by the gods in some plays, just as...more
AJAX
The story of Ajax, one of the warriors at Troy, who got angry he was not awarded the armor of the dead Achilles. Instead the armor was awarded to Odysseus his rival. Athena, forever on the side of Odysseus, saves Odysseus from the attack Ajax planned on the leaders of the Greek army. She made Ajax mad and he shames himself by slaughtering a herd of cattle and sheep whom he believes to be his enemies. After his delusions passed, he contemplates suicide.
Ajax: “Long life? Who but a coward would...more
The story of Ajax, one of the warriors at Troy, who got angry he was not awarded the armor of the dead Achilles. Instead the armor was awarded to Odysseus his rival. Athena, forever on the side of Odysseus, saves Odysseus from the attack Ajax planned on the leaders of the Greek army. She made Ajax mad and he shames himself by slaughtering a herd of cattle and sheep whom he believes to be his enemies. After his delusions passed, he contemplates suicide.
Ajax: “Long life? Who but a coward would...more
Feb 01, 2011
Stephen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who apreciates great Greek tragedy
Recommended to Stephen by:
A Mountain Goats song
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I only read Ajax & coordinating intro. This was for a special bookclub called "Ancient Greeks & Modern Life". Ajax is a combat vet returning home & things don't go well. The connection to modern life is currently returning vets have the same troubles adapting to civilian life, perhaps more so since most their peers out of the combat zone have no idea, nor want to know what they've done to make it home. At least in ancient Greece, all (male) citizens served from 18 yrs to 60 yrs old,...more
Sophocles, I appreciate your ability to write dialogue that sounds like something an actual human being might say, without using ridiculous metaphors about animals and sickness and the need to be poetic about every statement you make. (I'm looking at you, Aeschylus.)
This was some pretty light reading. The stakes are always very high in Greek drama. They are fun to read, but after awhile all the wailing and gnashing of teeth can get a bit loud in my head. My husband accurately drew the conclusion that Greek drama is sort of like Japanese animation - always screaming, always the most intense of situations. While this is all true, this is the birth of theater and entertainment as we experience it today. It is also interesting that the gods are always causing s...more
What can I say? All of the well-known Greek playwrights are important reading, both for their historical significance as well as the fact that they're excellent plays. They haven't remained famous for 2,400 years because they're not worthy of it.
Great translation of the text. Very readable. Introductions to each play were helpful. Would have preferred footnotes or endnotes to expand, but great translations.
Although I love Robert Fagles translations of the three Theban plays, I think penguin classics has found another great translator in David Raeburn. Philoctetes was excellent. And no matter who translates it, Sophocles' Electra cannot compete with Aeschylus' Orestia (probably not fair to compare a complete trilogy to a single tragedy, but it's what we've got.). Definitely recommend:)
Rereading it with an eye toward how it is similar and dissimilar to Hofmannsthal. I had always read that Hofmannsthal stayed close to the Sophocles. Doesn't seem like it to me.
On to Euripides.
On to Euripides.
My version is Watling and a Penguin Book. Sophocles knows how to create tension and make us empathize with the characters.
Sophocles II: Ajax, the Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes by Sophocles (1957)
Electra and other plays. Ajax, Electra, women of Trachis, Philoctetes by Sophocles (1953)
Referring to Women of Trachis (Trachiniae).
Technically this rating is only for Philoctetes.
Apr 12, 2010
Mary Johnson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
freshman-year-sjc
Only read Philoctetes
AJAX GET AWAY FROM MY SHEEP AND CATTLE AUGH
Oct 19, 2008
Eric
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
outside-reading,
greece-and-rome
When Aristotle talked about somebody who could write a good tragedy, he was talking about Sophocles. These plays (The 4 extant plays outside of the Theban Plays)are a testament to this fact. While the "Women of Trachis" is perhaps weak, the other three plays are all knockouts. Sophocles' treatment of the Electra myth is worth getting this copy of translations alone. Quite good, and highly recommended to people interested in Greek Tragedy.
Only Ajax.
Sophocle's Electra is, I think, the worst version, but it has the virtue of examining the complacency of Electra's sister with Electra's revolutionary vigour. Sophocles is a very psychologically penetrating dramatist, and, I think, nowhere more so than in Philoctetes and Ajax. Jealousy is Sophocles' main theme, usually, and so I must recommend this especially to the cynical; truly great drama, all the same.
Read Philoctetes for Freshman Seminar 2010.
Read Ajax in 2011 before a performance of it at American Repertory Theater in Boston. Re-read Philoctetes for pre-lecture Seminar/lecture on 4/08/11.
Re-read Philoctetes and Ajax in 2011. Wrote this essay on Philoctetes: http://mwfogleman.tumblr.com/post/189...
Read Ajax in 2011 before a performance of it at American Repertory Theater in Boston. Re-read Philoctetes for pre-lecture Seminar/lecture on 4/08/11.
Re-read Philoctetes and Ajax in 2011. Wrote this essay on Philoctetes: http://mwfogleman.tumblr.com/post/189...
I only had to read Electra for my Mythology class but I wish I had more time to read the other stories. This version was vastly more entertaining that the Orestia which I had previously and it was only a retake on the second play from the Trilogy. This one was much more to the point and fixed a lot of the loop holes present in the other stories.
You cannot count on tomorrow until you've survived today.
(945-946)
You can't engage in a boxing match with Love
Who'd be such a fool? Love governs even the gods
At his own sweet will. He certainly governs me.
(441-443)
-Sophocles from Women of Trachis
(945-946)
You can't engage in a boxing match with Love
Who'd be such a fool? Love governs even the gods
At his own sweet will. He certainly governs me.
(441-443)
-Sophocles from Women of Trachis
Poor Clytemnestra! Poor Heracles! Poor Ajax! Fate, it seems, is filled with justice, and it paid all them their due. But most of all, poor Philoctetes! It is a pathetic mind that would rather see a wound glorified than healed.
Read Ajaz, Electra and Philoctetes. My favorite of the big three Greek tragedians.
Aug 12, 2007
Luis Salas
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-and-recommended
I confess, I don't know about plays like the Colonus but there's always time to warm up to it. Antigone, though, and Oedipus make claims that Euripides is the most modern of the playwrights sound exaggerated.
v tradge.
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Sophocles (Greek: Σοφοκλής; German editions: Sophokles) was an ancient Greek tragedy playwright. Not many things are known about his life other than that he was wealthy, well educated and wrote about one hundred and twenty three plays (of which few are extant). One of his best known plays is 'Oedipus the King' (Oedipus Rex).
More about Sophocles...
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“When he endures nothing but endless miseries-- What pleasure is there in living the day after day,
Edging slowly back and forth toward death?
Anyone who warms their heart with the glow
Of flickering hope is worth nothing at all.
The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor. That's all there is to be said.”
—
28 people liked it
More quotes…
Edging slowly back and forth toward death?
Anyone who warms their heart with the glow
Of flickering hope is worth nothing at all.
The noble man should either live with honor or die with honor. That's all there is to be said.”
Sep 10, 2008 02:26am