Customer Reviews

Iphigeneia at Aulis (The Greek Tragedy in New Translations)

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Finding first rate translations can be a hit and miss affair. However, this it definitely a "hit". Merwin's translation of Euripides' tragedy is masterful and deserves the glowing reviews it has received here as elsewhere. Readers of this review might be interested to know that it is part of a series called "The Greek Tragedy in New Translations". And while it is out of print, good used copies are freely available in the Amazon marketplace -- which is where I secured mine.

Merwin has rendered a taut, readable version in modern English. And the volume is supplemented with an extremely interesting introduction by George Dimock -- with which I am not sure I entirely agree -- though he does a fine job of fitting the play within the context of the Peloponnesian War.

For me, the riveting aspect of this work is the treatment that Achilles gets (Agamemnon, of course, gets a good drubbing, which is satisfying -- but hardly unexpected!). We see him at Aulis, a young man as yet unbowed and unbloodied by the years of warfare at Troy. Dimock makes a rather startling remark when he asseverates, "The one thing that his [Achilles] speeches do not contain is simple human feeling such as Paris might entertain: it does not seem to have occurred to him that a young girl is about to die." And he is rather critical of Achilles for this (I might even say that his introduction is suffused with "pro-Trojan" sympathies). But for me, isn't this rather the whole point? Of course Achilles is like this, it took TEN years of warfare and the death of Patroclus for him to learn (and recall that he ALONE among the Greeks appears to have absorbed the lesson) how to be "human" -- on this see Bernard Knox's introduction to Robert Fagles' brilliant translation of the Iliad. I prefer the General Editor's view on this when he says, "the play enacts the heroic education of Achilles." Well, at least it enacts the very early stages of it!

Merwin is a wonderful poet -- and I would also recommend his translation of Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso. For readers in search of other top notch modern translations, see Stanley Lombardo's truly astonishing translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. See also Nicholas Pevear's translation of Aias.

Here is a sample of Merwin's translation (from the Chorus's reaction to a speech of Agamemnon's):

"O Cyprian,
most beautiful of the goddesses, keep
such wild flights from me.
Let me know love
within reason and desire within
marraige, and feel your presence
not your rage.
The natures of humans
are various, and human ways of acting
are different,
but everyone knows what is right,
and teaching
inclines them at last to virtue."

This is Euripides' last play, it being incomplete at his death. His son, and perhaps a few others, added to it. Agamemnon, King of Argos, is forced by the army he is leading (in the war against Troy) to offer his daughter, Iphigenia, up for sacrifice so that the army can finally set sail for Troy. His wife, Clytemnestra, pleads for mercy even to Achilles but to no avail. Euripides displays all of the "heroes" with little honor: the unconscious shame of the great. Only Iphigenia is noble. Euripides also continues his scathing criticism of the Greek gods and their lack of honor and morals.

This play contemplates the question of how many wars would be fought if the first to die were the children of the leaders themselves. The translation is quite readable but not strict, as a comparison of Greek with English line numbers quickly shows. The introductory essay and concluding notes on the play are especially helpful, placing the play in its historical context (the Peloponesian War) and explaining various allusions to mythological or historical events in the play itself.

Of course, Euripides doesn't need to be "rated" by me or anyone else. However, this particular translation was exceedingly interesting because of its modern tone. It could be performed today and be as intensely devastating now as it was when it was first presented (though perhaps not quite so daring, since we, unlike the ancient Athenians, are not in the process of losing a foolish but gruesome war).

Of the half dozen or so plays I've read in Oxford University Press's "Greek Tragedy in New Translations" series, this is the best.

An excellent synopsis and analysis of the play precedes a beautiful translation, smoothing the way for students. The play is one of the keys to understanding the Trojan War -- in addition to recapping the beef the Greeks have with Troy, there is much foreshadowing of what will happen ten years down the road.

After reading Iphigeneia at Aulis, it's difficult to cut any of those Greek heroes any slack. If the situation weren't so horrible and tragic, the interactions and reactions of some of the characters would be funny: Achilles, for example, extremely annoyed that Agamemnon would take his name in vain when tricking Iphigeneia into coming to Aulis -- if Agamemnon had asked him for his help first, then tricking the girl into coming to be sacrificed would have been okay. Or Menelaos, coming around to Agamemnon's way of thinking (that it would, after all, be wrong to kill Iphigeneia), and suggesting that only he, Agamemnon and Kalchas the priest know about the need for a sacrifice to get a fair wind to Troy, and that Kalchas won't tell: "Not if he's dead."

This play, and this translation, are probably one of the best introductions a student could have to Greek tragedy.

Of the half dozen or so plays I've read in Oxford University Press's "Greek Tragedy in New Translations" series, this is the best.

An excellent synopsis and analysis of the play precedes a beautiful translation, smoothing the way for students. The play is one of the keys to understanding the Trojan War -- in addition to recapping the beef the Greeks have with Troy, there is much foreshadowing of what will happen ten years down the road.

After reading Iphigeneia at Aulis, it's difficult to cut any of those Greek heroes any slack. If the situation weren't so horrible and tragic, the interactions and reactions of some of the characters would be funny: Achilles, for example, extremely annoyed that Agamemnon would take his name in vain when tricking Iphigeneia into coming to Aulis; if Agamemnon had asked him for his help first, then tricking the girl into coming to be sacrificed would have been okay. Or Menelaos, coming around to Agamemnon's way of thinking (that it would, after all, be wrong to kill Iphigeneia), and suggesting that only he, Agamemnon and Kalchas the priest know about the need for a sacrifice to get a fair wind to Troy, and that Kalchas won't tell: "Not if he's dead."

This play, and this translation, are probably one of the best introductions a student could have to Greek tragedy.

This ancient Greek play by the famous playwrite Euripides is a diatribe on war and the foolishness of pride. The play is often thought to be an incomplete work, but as Dimock points out in the introduction, recent discoveries suggest that IPHIGENEIA AT AULIS isn't as incomplete as once thought. This edition includes a fine introduction, several detailed notes on the text, and a glossary of proper nouns. The book is not too difficult to read and can be useful for students of the theatre and/or ancient Greek culture.

Will Agamemnon sacrifice his oldest daughter so that they can set sail for Troy? Clytemnestra (his wife) begs and pleads with him not to go through with it, but the brave Iphigenia accepts the fate her father has meted out for her. Will he go through with it? Will he be stopped? Will he have a change of heart?

Read the book. It is very easy to understand. If you know a little about the Greek gods and heroes, it helps even more.