Orestes and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Euripides (Author), James Morwood (Author), Robin Waterfield (Translator), Edith Hall (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: December 20, 2001

Orestes and Other Plays provides new translations of Ion, Orestes, The Phoenician Women and The Suppliant Women, plays that all explore ethical and political themes. Ion vividly portrays the role of chance in human life and the dynamics of family relationships.
In Orestes, the most popular of the tragedian's plays about the ancient world, Euripides explores the emotional consequences of Orestes' murder of his mother on the individuals concerned, and makes the tale resonate with advice to Athens about the threat to democracy posed by political pressure groups. The Suppliant Women is a commentary on the politics of empire, as the Athenian king Theseus decides to use force of arms rather than persuasion against Thebes. The Phoenician Women transforms the terrible conflict between Oedipus' sons into one of the most savage indictments of civil war in Western literature by highlighting the personal tragedy it brings.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

About the Author

Robin Waterfield is the acclaimed translator of Plato's Republic in OWC, and other classical works including two volumes of Plutarch's Lives and Herodotus' Histories. He is the author of a biography of Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet, Allen Lane/Penguin Press, 1998)

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192832603
• ISBN-13: 978-0192832603
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be ignored, September 16, 2009

By 

John Cullom (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orestes and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Euripedes is too often an afterthought of Greek tragedy. Part of the reason is that the plays are very much tied up with the political environment of the time, part is that so little of the dialogue of the characters can be taken at face value, and sadly, a significant part of the neglect is from the fact that there is more of Euripedes left to read than Sophocles or Aeschylus. He's tougher to sum up or put on as a reading laurel.

None of those are good reasons for passing him over. Euripedes is astonishingly modern. Characters behave like actual flawed and greedy people. The political analysis of crowd mentality and fear mongering is very insightful - this volume is a very powerful study of the post 9/11 years if read that way. There's just a lot going on.

This particular translation is worth twice the money just for the introduction. Vellacott does a great job of describing the political situation relevant at the performance of each play. Even more important, the readings of the play are very sophisticated, often rescuing plays from mediocre critical analysis. An enjoyable thing to do is to read Cliff's Notes interpretation after reading Vellacott, and then throwing them away.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Vellacott!, June 5, 2009

By 

Ryan Kouroukis "In 1882 Richard Wagner said: ... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orestes and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

What a shame that no one has written a review of Vellacott's Penguin edition of "Orestes and Other Plays".

These 6 plays are essential in Eurpipidean and Vellacott-ian studies!

They are amazing versions, the best on the market after comparing them to multiple other versions.

Vellacott includes fantastic introdutions and notes to: Orestes, Phoenecian Women, Suppliant Women, Children of Heracles, Andromache and Iphigenia in Aulis.

Like I said in my other review, Vellacott and Penguin brought Euripides into our modern world, and it is really to him that we are able to appreciate the Great Euripides!