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This is a fully revised new edition of Michael Ewans' 1995 English translation of the Oresteia, taking into account the extensive work published on the trilogy in recent years.
Accompanying this lucid, accurate and actable translation is a substantial introduction, outlining the festival setting of the plays, the original performance conditions and performance style, the form and meaning of the trilogy, the issues surrounding the act of translation, and finally a survey of some major productions since 1980. The text itself is a thoroughly competitive translation into modern English verse, now significantly revised in the light of recent scholarship on the text. It is followed by a theatrical commentary on each scene and chorus, providing unique insights into how the plays might have been staged in ancient Athens and how they can be staged today. The book also includes notes on the translation, two glossaries of names and Greek terms, selected further reading, and a chronology of Aeschylus' life and times.
Aeschylus' Oresteia: Translation and Theatrical Commentary is the most comprehensive English edition of Aeschylus' masterpiece, and this new edition fully meets the needs of teachers, students and practitioners working on the trilogy as well as those interested in ancient Greek drama and literature more broadly.
List of contents
Chronology of Aeschylus' Life and Times; Introduction; Selected Further Reading; Notes on the Text, Translation and Commentary; ORESTEIA; Theatrical Commentary; Glossary; Works Cited.
About the author
Michael Ewans is Conjoint Professor of Drama in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. His 12 books include two volumes each of translations of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Aristophanes and a recent translation of Euripides’ Medea, all with theatrical commentaries.
Summary
This is a fully revised new edition of Michael Ewans’ 1995 English translation of the Oresteia, taking into account the extensive work published on the trilogy in recent years.
