Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151264 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 138 pages

Customer Reviews

A wonderful new edition
A great take on the most powerful Greek tragedies, Sophocles' Theban plays. Timberlake Wertenbaker, who wrote "Our Country's Good" is an excellent choice for bringing the language into the present day, rivalling even Robert Fagles' impressive verse translation (I'd be hard pressed to pick between the two). Read these, and discover works of literature still incredibly relevant today, dealing with the "big questions" of law, religion and society in a moving modern English-language version. Highly recommended.

great version
Anyone considering buying this book will most likely know the story behing Antigone and the other plays, so I will not go into detail about the story. However, what I will say is after researching different texts this seems to be the best version available at the minute. By this of course I mean that the translation seems to be better than any i've seen before. The language used is simply beautiful, the words just flow when spoken and read perfectly. I've seen translations which use phrases such as "search me 'guv", but this one has a much nicer use of language. Each monologue is interesting and wonderful. If you are looking for a useful translation of Antigone then I would definatly recommend this one.

An Epic Translation
The problem with all too many translations is that they are far too literal - in the quest for accuracy, poetry has been lost.

I have Latin, but no Greek, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of Wertenbaker's verse. But what I can remark on is her ability to write beautifully and forcefully. The full horror of the trilogy is truly brought across. At times frightening, at times tender, at other times lyrical or menacing, this is a translation which would appeal to the general reader and to those studying Theatre Studies and Drama at A level.

A friend of mine directed 'Antigone' (part of the trilogy) with her Year 12 class, successfully and in a way which really engaged the students. I've used 'Oedipus Tyrannos' similarly for workshops with a Year 12 class, again successfully.

More explanatory notes would be useful, as would more from the author on the background to the piece, and perhaps even consideration of the play in performance. But overall this is a fantastic translation of drama with a timeless appeal.