Customer Reviews

Aeschylus: Eumenides (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics)

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(Note: just in case you don't know this: this edition is in ANCIENT GREEK, not English. The only English is in the [voluminous] notes, not a translation.)
I found this edition of the third play of Aeschylus' Oresteia very fine and very complete, and I was able to read all of the Eumenides with it -- and I am only in my second year of Greek (although my dedication may be above average). Sommerstein hits all the notes and remains balanced. The emendations are eminently well-defended; the meters are clear; the notes are thick and well-written. The historical overview of the years leading up to 458, when the play was produced, is unusually thorough for a book like this and deserves to become the standard for all such introductions. The cross-referencing with lines from other Greek literature is exhaustive and complete; much of the cross-referencing to different articles and works by modern authors impresses as well, with one caveat below.
Depending on which kind of an Oresteia scholar you are, you may become frustrated with this book. In his notes, Sommerstein evades many of the gender issues that are seen by some as essential to the play. This is done with the utmost in skill, though, so if you didn't know (or couldn't read or think) you might think there were no gender issues in the play. Hand-in-hand with this fact, he ignores important American writing on the Oresteia (done by Froma Zeitlin in her bold, some might venture to say excessive, but nonetheless important 1977 article "The Dynamics of Misogyny," for example) and does subscribe to a view of the Oresteia with which I have great sympathy, but that some may find naively progressive. To wit, Sommerstein believes the Oresteia to be about joy, triumph, cooperation in Athens, and a new era.

Overall, regardless of these matters this book is very fine. I would certainly use it were I to teach a reading class on the play.

There is no denying The Eumenides' greatness and profound importance; it is a foundational text not only in drama but in literature itself and remains a clear masterpiece after nearly 2,500 years. However, since it is part of the Orestia trilogy, and there are many editions with all three plays, it is hard to justify a standalone, especially as one can get all three for little or no more than this.

As the earliest known dramatist whose work survives, Aeschylus' influence is impossible to exaggerate, and this is his greatest known achievement. The story itself is enough to captivate after all this time; the profound tragedy still stirs elements deep within us. This is in large part due to the characters, many of whom have become archetypes. As far removed as they and their events seem from today, they are recognizably human with all-too-human flaws and frailties; we feel for them because we see ourselves in them. With its background of intrafamily murders and constant high pitch emotions, the melodramatic plot initially seems to have nothing to do with our world; ditto for the gods, curses, and other such factors. However, the underlying themes are still very much with us - are indeed as relevant as ever and likely always will be. We still struggle with issues like family strife, political succession, revenge ethics, crime and punishment, and the free will question. Agamemnon dramatizes these with unforgettable vividness and provokes at least as much thought as ever. It is essential reading for anyone with even the slightest interest in drama, history, or ancient Greece - indeed, literature itself.

Again, though, it is much better experienced in full and also more affordable and convenient. Readers would do well to get the trilogy, of which I recommend the Robert Fagles translation, which is undoubtedly the best for current readers. It is not that prior ones are inaccurate, but inevitable language changes have made them ever less readable; some may think them more stately, but they lack Fagles' flow and readability. Dedicated Greekless readers will of course want to read several, but neophytes should start with Fagles, the only version most will ever need.

This final part of Aeschylus' trilogy in no way falls short of part 1 and 2. Orestes stands trial before the gods for his actions in part 2. Aeschylus DOES NOT allow the suspense to slack for a single moment! While I read this, I was pretty close to hyperventilating. Basically the fight in court comes down to Athena (the goddess of wisdon and Zeus' favorite child) and Apollo (the embodiement of reason) vs the furies. When Athena and Apollo defeated the furies, I can not overestimate the relief I felt. This trilogy is truly the gem in Greek Mythology.

Aeschylus' The Eumenides is the third part of the Orestia Trilogy, recounting the murder of king Agamemnon and the blood bath that comes afterward. Personally I wouldn't have read it if I didn't have to (I'm required to by my English teacher). It was one of the hardest things I've had to read in a long time, and even wen I got the jist of what was going on it still didn't flatter me. If you really want to enjoy what the play has to offer I would recommend seeing it in a theatre, not trying to read it and understand it.