Aeschylus, 1 : The Oresteia : Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, the Eumenides (Penn Greek Drama Series) [Paperback]

Aeschylus (Translator), David R. Slavitt (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penn Greek Drama Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1997

The Penn Greek Drama Series presents original literary translations of the entire corpus of classical Greek drama: tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays. It is the only contemporary series of all the surviving work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What David Slavitt does, as the early Roman poets did, is to take a poem as his 'model' and make it his own by creating in late twentieth-century English an appropriate equivalent of the ancient poem. His Oresteia is the most lively and readable version known to me."—Gordon Williams

Praise for the series:

"A boon for classicists and general readers alike. For the reader who comes to tragedy for the first time, these translations are eminently 'accessible.'. . . For the classicist, these versions constitute an ambitious reinterpretation of traditional masterpieces."—Boston Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081221627X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812216271
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,491,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping read, February 4, 2009

By 

D. Worth (Centreville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Aeschylus, 1 : The Oresteia : Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, the Eumenides (Penn Greek Drama Series) (Paperback)

This was the first time I have read a Greek play except for exerpts in college -- I was following the guide to drama given in The Educated Mind by Bauer. Reading this made me want to read more Greek plays in the Penn Greek drama series. I think the plays are elegantly written, as they are not so wordy as other translations. I see they are knocked a bit for being too free a translation - but I will say I was absolutely spellbound by Agamemnon, and I doubt that would have happened in a more typical translation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Try Aeschylus, but not here, January 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Aeschylus, 1 : The Oresteia : Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides (Penn Greek Drama Series) (v. 1) (Hardcover)

I picked up the Slavitt translation of Aeschylus Oresteia off a publisher's overstock rack at a bookstore. I have enjoyed reading these plays, however, Slavitt's translation leaves me wanting.

Some have complained that Slavitt is too modern and a bit too, well, guteral. My greek is admittedly weak, but the Greeks were certainly not prudes and often this aspect is covered up in our translations.

After seeing a few complaints on the web, I tried comparing a few other translations at the local library. In almost all cases I found Ted Hughes's version to be both more interesting and also clearer. Hughes, like Slavitt is not the most "literal" translation, but he makes it a great read.

I am not enough of a Greek Scholar to recomend a more literal version, but it looks like people have good things to say about Fagles's version.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a mind-blowing translation, but not bad, either, February 23, 2000

By 

David Bowles - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aeschylus, 1 : The Oresteia : Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, the Eumenides (Penn Greek Drama Series) (Paperback)

A bit uneven in spots, the translation is overall easy to read and highly recommended for highschool or lower level university classes. Students unfamiliar with this material need modern diction and syntax, despite what the reviewer from Japan opines, and this translation provides them.