A poetic new interpretation of the ancient dramatic trilogy about the house of Atreus describes how King Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and the efforts of their son, Orestes, to kill his mother and avenge the crime, bringing upon himself the wrath of the Furies and the judgment of Athens.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
During the final years of his life, Ted Hughes poured much of his energy into translating the classics. Given the triumph of the Birthday Letters, some readers may regret this canonical moonlighting. Yet it's hard to feel shortchanged by the work Hughes did produce: his version of Ovid was a brilliant blend of Latinate suavity and contemporary grit, and he negotiated the alexandrines of Racine's Phèdre with spectacular ease. Now we have his translation of the Oresteia, which was commissioned by the Royal National Theater in the late 1990s. Has Hughes done right by Aeschylus?
The answer would have to be yes--with a couple of qualifications. Hughes made no secret of the fact that he was after an "acting version" of the trilogy, one that would convey the power of Aeschylus's classic bloodbath to a modern audience. He has therefore taken more liberties with the text than we might expect, chopping and channeling the original to fit his own conception. Perhaps the result is closer to what Robert Lowell called an "imitation"--an attempt to capture the work's spirit without precisely mimicking its form. In any case, this Oresteia succeeds on both counts. The darkness and destructive movement of the original remain intact in the Hughes's free-verse lines:
The men of Troy are a litter of corpses,Yet Hughes has also left his elemental imprint on the play. Always drawn to violence in his own verse--particularly the impersonal assault and battery of the natural world--he has made his Oresteia more bloody-minded than the original (and that's saying something). There's nothing sensationalistic about this extra quantum of wrack and ruin. It's merely Hughes's personal response to Aeschylus--and a necessary preparation, perhaps, for Athena's clarifying cameo at the end of The Eumenides: "Let your rage pass into understanding / As into the coloured clouds of a sunset, / Promising a fair tomorrow. / Do not let it fall / As a rain of sterility and anguish / On Attica." Her plea for conciliation is as powerful as the horrors that have preceded it, which may (to tread on some rather thin biographical ice) reflect the poet's own final impulses. In any case, this is passionate, memorable, deeply human poetry--i.e., what becomes a classic most. --Anita Urquhart
Rubbish-heaps of corpses. Troy on its hill
Cascades with blood, as under a downpour
Of bodies from the heavens,
Shattered and entangled with each other
In every passage--mutilations,
Amputations, eviscerations. The women
Are kneeling, shoulders heaving, with eyes hidden,
Over what were yesterday
Husbands, fathers, sons.
They labour at a grief that is already
The first labour of slaves.
Ted Hughes is Poet Laureate to Queen Elizabeth II. FSG published his Tales from Ovid in 1997, and his Birthday Letters earlier this year. He lives in Devon, England.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 3.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: More Than Words, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. . Former Library book. All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Before placing your order for please contact us for confirmation on the book's binding. Check out our other listings to add to your order for discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # WAL-G-4f-002067
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00055853627
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.95. Seller Inventory # G0374227217I3N11
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.95. Seller Inventory # G0374227217I5N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.95. Seller Inventory # G0374227217I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. 1st American ed. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # GRP98512399
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. 1st American ed. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 4753084-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 19-0374227217-G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_402870033
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.75. Seller Inventory # bk0374227217xvz189zvxgdd
Quantity: 1 available