The Bacchae of Euripides: A New Version [Paperback]

C. K. Williams (Author), Martha Nussbaum (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 1990

From the renowned contemporary American poet C. K. Williams comes this fluent and accessible version of the great tragedy by Euripides.

This book includes an introduction by Martha Nussbaum.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Martha Nussbaum's excellent introductory discussion of how Euripides examines Greek ideas about moral virtue, together with her well-selected bibliography on Dionysius and studies of The Bacchae, make this work a worthwhile purchase. There are still problems with the text, however. Noted poet Williams's translation of the choruses is clearly designed for the stage, containing repetitive lines that allow one actor to pick up and carry on the thought of another. Yet, as the inclusion of Nussbaum's scholarly essay indicates, the book attempts to serve two different audiences whose needs cannot be adequately fulfilled by a single volume. Ultimately, the essay provides a good beginning for analysis while the repetition of the choruses, which are quite striking when read aloud, makes the reader struggle to move forward in the text.
- Marjorie F. MacKenzie, GSLIS, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Williams's fine translation of The Bacchae achieves something of what Longinus (in On The Sublime) admires in Euripides, 'sobriety in the midst of the Bacchic revels.' Williams convinces us of Dionysus' power to make a man slip into madness, but in language that never forgets its form and control. Martha Nussbaum's subtle, wide-ranging, and well-informed introduction does justice to the disturbing, transgressive energy of the play. It is an excellent study of the psychological, religious, and moral issues that Euripides raises."--Charles Segal, Princeton University

"This new version of The Bacchae should allow English readers to appreciate some of the rich qualities of Euripides' masterpiece. C. K. Williams handles the spoken poetry of the original in a flexible verse that encompasses a wide range of tone. His treatment of the lyrics uses a rhythmically bold form whose accents would particularly lend themselves to effective choral acting. The translation is accompanied by a striking essays from Martha Nussbaum, who offers both a well-shaped approach to the play for new readers and many challenging thoughts for those seeking to deepen their appreciation of the work."--Stephen Halliwell, University of Birmingham

"Williams has done a fine version of The Bacchae in vigorous, plain language, and I think that the beautifully rendered choruses, if distributed in the manner he envisions, would have great power in performance."--Richard Wilbur

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (August 23, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374522065
• ISBN-13: 978-0374522063
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Continental European
  • #70 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Greek & Roman

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Aweful I've Yet to Read, June 29, 2005

By 

Pliplup (Indy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bacchae of Euripides: A New Version (Paperback)

While I haven't read much Greek tragedy, and this is my first Euripides play, the Bacchae is the most aweful I've yet to read. The fury of a god spurned by his family and city had me entranced in awe. I still can't quite understand it. I just had to be still and let its terrible beauty wash over me -- to experience it. I imagine that the audience at its first performance was full of fear and trembling.

These feelings of attraction and revulsion seem appropriate for a god like Dionysus, a god who seems to embrace opposites. The surging, green life of the vine which dies and is cut back, only to send forth green shoots of new life. The joys of his revels which can slip into madness. . .

The danger and messiness of life. While you don't neccessarily have to embrace this verity, it must be acknowledged or you will slip into madness and death. These are the gifts of the god to those who deny him.

"Then, at last,
he'll know; Dionysus is a god.
Dionysus is the son of Zeus.
Doinysus is, for humans, fiercest and most sweet."

After this declamation the god leaves the stage and the chorus expands upon it in some of the most beautiful and appealing language I've encountered in Greek tragedy:

"On, will I, some-
time, in the all-
night dances, dance
again, bare-
foot, rapt,
again, in
Bacchus,
again?

Will I
throw my bared
throat
back, to the cool
night back, the
way,
oh, in the green joys
of the meadow, the
way
a fawn
frisks, leaps,
throws itself
as it finds itself
safely past
the frightening
hunters, past the
nets, the
houndsmen
urging on
their straining
hounds, free
now, leaping, tasting
free wind now,
BEING wind
now as it leaps
the plain, the
stream
and river, out
at last, out from
the human,
free, back,
into the
green,
rich, dapple-
shadowed tresses of the
forest."

Freedom, joy in nature, and giving onself over to these things unreservedly are indeed most sweet for humans. I suppose the hunters who threaten these things are what bring out the fierceness of the following lines:

"What is
wisdom?
What
the fairest
gift the gods
can offer
us
below?
What
is nobler
than
to hold
a dominating
hand
above
the bent
head of
the enemy?
The fair, the
noble, how
we
cherish, how
we welcome
them."

From freedom and frisking to dominating your enemy, and this is wisdom! It is certainly fearsome. How do you contain it? Who knows. Perhaps it is not to be contained. Perhaps trying to contain it is The problem. It sure does not seem to be any way to run a civilization. And round and round we go, and I'm not sure if the play presents us with any answers except . . . maybe . . .

Don't deny the gods. Give them their due. Give them their due or you will be ripped to shreds. Whew. Hard stuff indeed.

Part of the reason for the extensive chorus quote was to show how this translation deals with the chorus lines. I first read the Nicholas Rudall translation of this play and I just went galumphing along through his chorus sections. The way Williams strings out the words forced me to slow down and really chew on the words, and I finally saw the beauty of the play's chorus in this translation.

Besides having a translation that sings to my ears, this book also features an informative and extensive introduction by Martha Nussbaum that I found to be most interesting and enlightening.

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging and mood-capturing translation of a wonderful work., January 9, 2012

By 

Hayli May Cox (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bacchae of Euripides: A New Version (Paperback)

This version of The Bacchae is not only beautiful, but the printing of the words of the chorus and the style and breaks in the lines of the text catch a perfect mood and speed as well as rhythm. The pages have the text spaced nicely, and it seems to breeze quickly and chaotically because of the rate that the pages need to be turned. In this way a mood is captured that is not always seen in translations of ancient texts. Besides that, it is a compelling tragedy that raises many questions.

5.0 out of 5 stars A authentic Greek Tragedy, February 5, 2009

By 

R. Lynne "roolynne" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bacchae of Euripides: A New Version (Paperback)

This is a fabulous version of The Bacchae. The feeling is completely tragic, but insightful into how the Greeks saw and explained life. Appearances are not always what they seem in The Bacchae. This book inspired me to read more Greek Tragedy and to buy the book "Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greek." I wanted to understand more theory in regards to tragedy after reading this book. Even if you just read it for fun, it will leave you awe struck in the end.