The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes [Hardcover]

Seamus Heaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 1991

The Cure at Troy is Seamus Heaney's version of Sophocles' Philoctetes. Written in the fifth century BC, this play concerns the predicament of the outcast hero, Philoctetes, whom the Greeks marooned on the island of Lemnos and forgot about until the closing stages of the Siege of Troy. Abandoned because of a wounded foot, Philoctetes nevertheless possesses an invincible bow without which the Greeks cannot win the Trojan War. They are forced to return to Lemnos and seek out Philoctetes' support in a drama that explores the conflict between personal integrity and political expediency.

Heaney's version of Philoctetes is a fast-paced, brilliant work ideally suited to the stage. Heaney holds on to the majesty of the Greek original, but manages to give his verse the flavor of Irish speech and context.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A purifying play, in the great tradition of modern Irish drama: think of Synge's Playboy of the Western World, O'Casey's early work, or even some of Yeats's Cuchulain plays."--John Peters, The Sunday Times (London)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Seamus Heaney received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. A resident of Dublin since 1976, he teaches regularly at Harvard University. His recent publications include Beowulf, The Diary of One Who Vanished, Opened Ground: Selected Poems 1966-1996, and Finders Keepers: Selected Prose 1971-2001.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (December 4, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374133557
• ISBN-13: 978-0374133559
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,956,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cure At Troy, March 18, 2003

By 

Tom (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes (Hardcover)

Seamus Heaney pulls through again with his brilliant translation of Sophocles' Philoctetes. The tragic story of the forgotten hero, Philoctetes, provides a unique insight into the conflicts between personal moral beliefs and political calling. Odysseus persuades the heroic Neoptolemus into tricking the mamed Philoctetes into giving up the bow of Hercules. This act challenges the admired traits of the ancient world and draws into question the importance of personal beliefs. As each character represents a different aspect of the Greek world, a fight for beliefs - fidelity, pity, piety - endures. As for the translation itself, Heaney provides a beautiful interpretation of the story as seen in the words of the chorus:

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

This enriched translation strays slightly from the ancient text in order to enhance the understanding of the modern reader. Overall, this fast-moving play entices and enchants through a lyrical harmony like no other. Bravo, Seamus. Bravo.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cure at Troy yields a measured dose, April 22, 2000

By 

Debbie East - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes (Paperback)

Seamus Heaney's version of trials for the Greek archer entrusted with Hercules' infallible bow and arrows gives us affirmation and points of reflection. Heaney does not dash the ancient dialogue style on the rocky island; rather it is enriched for the modern reader. Honoring the timelessness of Sophocles, Heaney allows today's reader to make comparisons of private nature and choices with the public need and will. The hero, Achilles' son, Neoptolemus, finds that the strategy to take Troy for the Greeks runs counter to his nature of honesty and integrity. We wrestle with him over the choices. We tumble with him when he loses his grip. We crawl back to sure footing along side the hero. I found myself understanding the characters based on different experiences in my life. Philoctetes bemoans his ill-fated injury which leaves him abandoned and full of vengeance. Human empathy allows him to examine his tight grip on his woundedness without denying what he has endured. Odysseus, the pragmatic lieutenant of war, is shown for his utility and foibles. As in all Greek plays, the chorus calls the characters and the reader to reflection, "...For my part is the chorus, and the chorus is more or less a borderline between the you and the me and the it of it." Heaney got the "it of it" for us to take our own measure.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't forget the Irish politics, November 20, 2008

By 

Giton (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes (Paperback)

Other reviewers have noted that Heaney's translation, like any literary translation, serves a different purpose for its audience than the original work did for its audience. I just wanted to add that this translation is not _just_ a modernization of Sophocles' work. As an Irish unionist, Heaney subtly refigures the drama as a political treatise on modern Ireland, which was prominently expressed when former Irish President Mary Robinson cited The Cure at Troy in her inaugural speech in 1994. Leave it to a master like Heaney to produce a layered work with several valid levels of interpretation.