Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persian (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Philip Vellacott (Author), Aeschylus (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: August 30, 1961

Aeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. In "Prometheus Bound", the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. "The Suppliants" tells the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus who must flee to escape enforced marriages, while "Seven Against Thebes" shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the cursed family of Oedipus. And "The Persians", the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the aftermath of the defeat of Persia in the battle of Salamis, with a sympathetic portrayal of its disgraced King Xerxes. Philip Vellacott's evocative translation is accompanied by an introduction, with individual discussions of the plays, and their sources in history and mythology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aeschylus was born of noble family near Athens in 525 BC. He took part in the Persian Wars, adn his epitahp represents him as fighting at Marathon. He wrote more than seventy plays, of which only seven have survived.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 30, 1961)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140441123
• ISBN-13: 978-0140441123
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Classical & Early
  • #28 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Greek & Roman

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translations of the four non-Oresteian plays., May 15, 1999

By 

R. D. Allison ([e-mail]) (Gainesville, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persian (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Vellacott has supplied us with excellent translations with commentaries on the four non-Oresteian plays. The seven plays of Aeschylus should be read by every college-level student, irrespective of their major (I'm in the sciences and I have enjoyed them). The popular "Prometheus Bound" is concerned with the conflict between force and injustice on one side and intelligence, justice, and altruism on the other. The Titan Prometheus, who has stolen fire from heaven and given it to Earth's mortal inhabitants, is being punished for his presumption by being bound to a rock on Mount Caucasus and tortured. He can foretell the future, but refuses to tell Zeus the secret of Zeus' downfall. "The Persians" is the least read play; probably because it has very little action. But, I like it. It is the oldest surviving play based on an event of recent history. The play was first produced in 472 B. C., only eight years after the Battle of Salamis. The speech by the Messenger in the play is the earliest known historical account of that battle. A disgraced Xerxes follows the Messenger. Interestingly, this play also contains the earliest known appearance by a ghost in a drama. "The Suppliants" is the first play of a trilogy, has very little action, and is merely a prologue to the two missing members of the trilogy. The fifty daughters of Danaus are fleeing from the fifty sons of Aegyptus, their cousins. The daughters seek sanctuary from Pelasgus, King of Argos. The play, and probably the trilogy, focuses on when city-states should give sanctuary to others. "Seven Against Thebes" is a retelling of the war between the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices. They were to supposed to share power in Thebes but have quarrelled. Eteocles seizes power and Polyneices goes to get help from Adrastus, King of Argos, and six other kings. Eteocles sends champions to fight the six kings at six of the gates of Thebes. The seventh gate is left to Eteocles. However, that is the gate to which his brother comes. Eteocles feels that he has no choice but to fight and further incur the wrath of the gods by shedding kindred blood. Eteocles had an "out" of his predicament but he choses not to use it. "When the gods send destruction there is no escape."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, June 21, 2008

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persian (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Of dozens of plays written by Aeschylus, only 7 survive. Three comprise the great Oresteia and the other 4 are brought together in this anthology. Most are the surviving members of trilogies. All are at least interesting and contain much powerful language. None have the impact of the Oresteia, though its impossible to know what impression they would make if read or performed with the missing components of the trilogies. The Persians, written not long after the catastrophic Persian defeat at Salamis, is a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the Persian court learning of the defeat. Seven against Thebes, part of Aeschylus' rendering of the Oedipus myth, shows an interesting aspect of the story with language recalling Homeric epics. The somewhat static Suppliants, which seems to have been essentially a prologue with its lost successors in a trilogy, is the least interesting. Prometheus Bound is the most interesting, largely because of the powerful and sympathetic figure of Prometheus. Aeschylus' Prometheus is no stick figure of virtue; arrogant, even sarcastic in his defiance of the Olympian Gods, he is a compelling champion of humanity. Somewhat like the Oresteia, a major theme of Prometheus Bound and presumably the whole trilogy is the conflict of reason and power.

4.0 out of 5 stars Aeschylus-Four Plays, April 25, 2010

By 

Michael Kumpf (Acworth, Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persian (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I have never read Aeschylus before. I was familiar with some of the basics of Greek mythology and I've read some of Homer and Sophocles but that was about it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed these plays, with the exception of The Suppliants, which I thought was too slow and a bit boring. I liked Vellacott's translation. I can't comment on the accuracy of it, but I do think he did a good job bringing the plays to life. Once I got into the plays themselves, I could sense a rhythm for each one and made it pretty easy and fun to read. His introduction is short-a brief note about the playwright and then some background information on the plays themselves-a brief synopsis and the main themes of the plays. He doesn't overwhelm you with background information in the introduction. There are a few pages of footnotes. They weren't overly footnoted, which I liked because they didn't break the flow of the dialog.

If you have no knowledge of Greek mythology, I'd suggest some brief background reading before diving into the plays to familiarize yourself with some of the main players in the plays. Worth checking out for sure.