Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #839794 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 80 pages

Customer Reviews

Kennelly makes contemporary a classic play
Brendan Kennelly's translation of Euripides' Trojan Women is a feminist play - but don't be put off by that! I simply mean that it is a play that celebrates the strength of women whilst never giving in to stereotypes. Kennelly achieves this more so than Euripides. Instead of the original ending, Kennelly reinforces the women’s strength by closing the play with Hecuba’s triumphant speech in which she declares “The war is over. The war begins – for me!” a challenge for her male captors.
There are several rich, multi-faceted characters. The plays structure allows for this with blocks of monologues as opposed to short interchanges between characters. Don’t be put off by this though, it really allows for a depth of character to emerge and never becomes boring. This is because the playwright uses poetic and lyrical language to carry the action forward smoothly but cleverly juxtaposes this with angry, staccato outbursts to create tension and keep the reader/audience interested.
A play about the effects of war will always hold some relevance to contemporary society but this play never preaches at its audience – something which makes it all the more readable.