Gilbert Murray's Euripides: The Trojan Women and Other Plays (Classic Translations Series) (Bristol Phoenix Press - Classic Translations) (Paperback)

~ James Morwood (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Murray's translations of Greek tragedy unlocked the gates of commercial theatre to its performance-and its performance in verse-on both side of the Atlantic, bringing to the project his personal prestige as holder of the Regius Chair of Greek at Oxford (from 1908) and as editor of all the plays of Euripides in the Oxford Classical Text series. His translations laid down the standard by which public and scholar alike have viewed Greek drama for the last hundred years. Scholar he certainly was, but was also a humanitarian liberal, who saw contemporary resonances of Trojan Women in the Boer War and of Medea in the suffragette movement; and his keen instinct for the theatre was deferred to alike by actors (Sibyl Thorndike), directors (Granville Barker) and fellow playwrights (George Bernard Shaw). His was the voice that had something wonderful to say and that could not be ignored. The volume contains his versions of Medea, Hippolytus, Electra, The Trojan Women and Bacchae, along with his own penetrating introductions and notes designed to guide the reader to Murray's own distinctive view of each play. Morwood's new Introduction to the volume sets the translations in their context; and an Appendix gives the (hitherto unpublished) parody of them written by Murray's friend and former pupil Maurice Bowra.

About the Author

Gilbert Murray was a British classical scholar; born 1866 in Sidney, Australia; died 1957. In 1908 Murray was appointed regius professor of Greek at Oxford. He is best known as a Greek scholar and especially as a translator of Greek drama. His translations were rendered in heroic rhymes to preserve the rhythm of the originals. James Morwood is Dean of Wadham College, Oxford, translator of eleven of Euripides' plays in the World Classics Series, author of numerous Greek and Latin language books and of The Life and Works of Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1985).

Product Details

• Paperback: 470 pages
• Publisher: Bristol Phoenix Press (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904675352
• ISBN-13: 978-1904675358
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,793,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)