Orestes and Other PlaysOrestes 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. |
Contents
Abbreviations | vi |
Note on the Translation | xl |
Map of the Greek World | liv |
ORESTES | 48 |
PHOENICIAN WOMEN | 96 |
SUPPLIANT WOMEN | 138 |
Explanatory Notes | 172 |
Textual Notes | 216 |
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Common terms and phrases
ADRASTUS AETHRA Agamemnon altar ancient ANTIGONE Apollo Argive Argos arms army Athenian Athens Atreus birth blood bodies bring brother Cadmus Capaneus Cecrops chariot child childless CHORUS sings citizens corpses CREON CREUSA daughter dead death Delphi Demeter Dionysus divine drama earth Edith Hall ELECTRA Enter Erechtheus ETEOCLES Euripidean Euripides EVADNE eyes father favour friends gave goddess gods Greece Greek Tragedy grief Hades hand happy hear Helen herald Hermes Hermione husband IPHIS JOCASTA kill king land libations live look Loxias marriage MENELAUS Menoeceus MESSENGER mother murder Oedipus oracle ORESTES OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS pain palace Pallas Phoebus Phoenician Women PHRYGIAN play POLYNICES pray PRIESTESS PYLADES sacred SEMICHORUS shrine sister slave sons Sophocles stichomythia Suppliant Women sword tears tell temple Theban Thebes There's THESEUS things TIRESIAS tomb tragic Troy Tyndareus What's wife woman wretched XUTHUS young Zeus