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5.0 out of 5 stars
Aeschylus 1: Richmond Lattimore trans. ,1953 ed.,
This review is from: Aeschylus I (Paperback)
I made a point of noting the edition of this Lattimore translation of the Oresteia because it contains a very useful introduction which seems to have been omitted by some later publishers. This introduction takes up 30 pages and is about as comprehensive as you could reasonably expect without becoming a book in it's own right.
For readers like myself, who are not well-versed in classical Greek tragedy or in the history, legends, and mythology which are integral parts of this specific tragedy, this introduction is indispensable. The titled sections are: The Life of Aeschylus, Early Tragedy, The Story of the House of Atreus, Variations of the Legend, Idea and Symbol, Dramatic Structure and Lyric Dimension, and Lyric Tragedy. There is also an a brief analysis of each of the parts of the trilogy. According to Lattimore, "Agammemnon" was the "culmination of lyric tragedy". The imagery conjured up by the lyrical speech of the actors transcended the limitations of a small, fixed stage and limited cast, and opened up the imagination of the spectator to distant places, events, and times, present and future. Thus, the conflict between Clytemaestra and Agammemnon involves us also in the legendry of the House of Atreus, as well as the siege of Troy and related events. In the second part of the trilogy, " The Libation Bearers", the focus narrows, as attention is concentrated on Orestes and Electra while they work themselves into a state of self-justification for their anticipated revenge-murders. It is evident by the end of this play that revenge in the name of personal "right" leads to an unending cycle of more outrages and more revenge. "The Eumenides" provides resolution to what has gone before in the first two plays of the trilogy, by introducing a higher justice, personified by the joint intervention of Apollo and Athene. The Furies, representing primitive, strict, brutal justice, are tempered and superseded by a more rational and humane justice which is a basic ingredient of modern civilization. As I said earlier, I hadn't had much previous exposure to Greek tragedy. The incentive to delve into the "Oresteia" came from an unusual and provocative book called "Sexual Personnae" by Camille Paglia. In her book she makes the case that the achievements of western civilization have come about through the struggle between Apollonian male-orientated, rational conceptions of the world, and the Dionysian, female-dominated, irrational elements of humanity. In her view, the "Oresteia" exemplifies this concept. She also says that the "Oresteia" could be viewed as "Freudian psychodrama" wherein Orestes represents young ego, the Furies stand for the irrational id, and Apollo is the superego. In reading these plays I was "checking up" on Ms. Paglia's assertions to see if they seemed credible. It was interesting to view the trilogy through the lenses provided by these scholarly commentators. Mr. Lattimore's analysis and Ms. Paglia's colorful speculations gave me some preparation to better appreciate these dramas. In reading the actual plays, I was surprised at their power and complexity. This was a case where it was well worthwhile to go to the original work rather than merely reading what others have said about it.
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