Bacchae (Dover Thrift Editions)

by Euripides (Author)

10 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0486295800

ISBN-10: 048629580X

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The youngest of the three great Greek tragedians, following Aeschylus and Sophocles, Euripides (ca. 484–406 B.C.) is reputed to have written ninety-two plays, nineteen of which survive. The Bacchae, a late play staged posthumously, concerns the cult of Dionysus, god of wine, whose worship hinged largely on orgiastic and frenzied nature rites.
When Dionysus (in disguise) attempts to spread his cult among the people (especially the women) of Thebes, their king, Pentheus, imprisons Dionysus and tries to suppress his cult. The king's misguided attempt to thwart the will of a god leads to catastrophe. Full of striking scenes, frenzied emotion, and choral songs of great power and beauty, the play is a fine example of Euripides' ability to exploit and manipulate traditional Greek myth to serve his own ends in probing man's psychological makeup and understanding of himself.

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Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

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Product Details

Series: Dover Thrift Editions
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (April 22, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 048629580X
ISBN-13: 978-0486295800
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Ancient & Classical
- #58 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Ancient & Classical
- #1292 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature

Customer Reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

The most verbally extravagant of all Greek dramas.

Bydarragh o'donoghueon August 29, 2001

Format: Paperback

If, like me, you had Greek Tragedy down as an austere thing, full of parched plains, unswerving Fate and dour verse, then 'The Bacchae' might come as a pleasant surprise. It has these things of course, but the first quality that shocks is the vibrant, fervid excess of the language. The story concerns Dionysus, the God of wine, the Life Force, the Chaos of the Irrational etc., who inspires a possessed devotion in his acolytes, as they express themselves in high-flown, ecstatic rhapsodies. Not every one takes this proto-hippie's divinity seriously, in particular the family of his mortal mother, led by the impetuous teenage king Pentheus, who sees all this Bacchanalia in the woods and mountains in loose robes as so much lechery. Dionysus exacts such terrible revenge on these unbelievers that 'Bacchae' makes Shakespeare's 'Titus Andronicus' look like a Julie Andrews vehicle.
If Sophocles' 'Oedipus the King' is the first detective story, than 'Bacchae' might be the first police procedural - a central sequence sees Pentheus arrest Dionysus and interrogate him, a scene as tightly written and suspenseful as any thriller. But detection and policing, embodying the forces of reason and the Law, have no power against the Irrational or Unknowable, and Pentheus is soon made mad, his order and sense of self in tatters. The terrible grip of irony familiar from Greek Tragedy gives the play a violent momentum, but the most extraordinary scenes take place offstage, related in vivid and tumultuous monolgues by messengers - the whirlwind revenge of Dionysus' female followers on the forces of surveilling civilisation, and the cruel enactment of the God's revenge. This idea of hearing about improbable catastrophes but not being able to see them adds ot the supernatural terror that is the play's fevered life-blood.

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Great play, horrible edition

Bylochesmocheson July 26, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I teach AP English Lit, and I like to find inexpensive editions of novels and plays for my students to purchase. This Dover Thrift edition is horrible because it uses a very old translation. When I read the description on Amazon, the publication date was given as 1997, and the translation was called "fresh." Once I started reading the play, I saw that the translation was not "fresh" at all. It uses Latin word order all the time, which is fine for me because I also teach Latin and I am used to the direct object coming before the verb and subject (which happens in Shakespeare quite often also). However, I knew that my AP English students would become very confused and frustrated right away and would stop reading the play.
When you look at the copyright info in this edition, you see that it was first published in 1997, but it is based on a 1908 edition which follows a translation that was first published in 1865. That is not my idea of a "fresh" translation. The play is wonderful and students enjoy it when they can read it without frustration. I don't want a dummied down translation, but I do want a translation that is accessible for 21st century students.

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Very enjoyable

ByA customeron August 30, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great drama. I'm not a huge "classics" fan and yet I enjoyed this. If you're into Greek mythology and like flowery language and prose (and lots of melodrama) you will enjoy this. HINT: don't read these plays line-by-line like a poem - I find that it's more difficult to follow them that way. Read this like you would a novel.

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Cheap book required for class

ByZenon October 16, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Class requirement book I needed to read.

>>>>>Warning harsh language/content/cursing in book<<<<<<<< The book is roughly 1/4 inch thick. The text is practically typed in size 20 font with double space and something readable like Times New Roman. Nothing fancy. Took my ~4 hours to read it from beginning to end without distractions. Could be different as there are different version of this book floating around. I have seen some as small as size 10 font in Calibri.

If you are doing a literary analysis and critical thinking, I'd suggest ~6 hours.

If you are reading this for fun, you can spend less than ~30 minutes and shred through the book like nobody's business.

My College bookstore ran out of stock on this book and was a required reading by my English Professor, so I had to shop from Amazon for this.

Not sure if I'd recommend, but if you happen to have roughly ~4 hours to kill in a society flooded with media and smartphones and distractions, then by all means read this book.

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The Greatest Play Extant!

Byrjones2818on June 23, 2007

Format: Paperback

Dionysos returns to the city of his birth, anxious for those honors which are due him. Pentheus, current ruler of Thebes and a cousin of our hero, doesn't accept him. Pentheus finds out he made a really bad mistake, when he ends up at the top of a pine tree! What more could you ask for? Euripides' masterpiece is a great as ever, and for the price it can't be beat.

Highest rating!

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Recycle

ByRuskin Tomatoeson November 17, 2016

Format: Paperback

Archaic translation. Not engaging at all. Even though cheap, it is not worth the money.

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Five Stars

ByLaura Hunton November 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of my very favorites of the Greek tragedies.

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Five Stars

Byblueberry magicon March 5, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Perfect condition and a great read.

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