Antigone, Oedipus The King, Electra

Description

Love and loyalty, hatred and revenge, fear, deprivation, and political ambition: these are the motives which thrust the characters portrayed in these three Sophoclean masterpieces on to their collision course with catastrophe. Recognized in his own day as perhaps the greatest of the Greek tragedians, Sophocles' reputation has remained undimmed for two and a half thousand years. His greatest innovation in the tragic medium was his development of a central tragic figure, faced with a test of will and character, risking obloquy and death rather than compromise his or her principles: it is striking that Antigone and Electra both have a woman as their intransigent 'hero'. Antigone dies rather neglect her duty to her family, Oedipus' determination to save his city results in the horrific discovery that he has committed both incest and parricide, and Electra's unremitting anger at her mother and her lover keeps her in servitude and despair. These vivid translations combine elegance and modernity, and are remarkable for their lucidity and accuracy.Their sonorous diction, economy, and sensitivity to the varied metres and modes of the original musical delivery make them equally suitable for reading or theatrical peformance.

Reviews

"Kitto's vigorous, accurate versions, made with production in mind, remain the best. Hall's lucid, informative, concise introduction with leads to further reading enhance the value of the volume considerably. I shall use it in classes."--William M. Calderist, University of Illinois
"Wonderfully brief, clear introductory notes."--Sr. Miriam Catherine Nevins, Dominican College
"Kitto's translations have aged will and Hall's introduction is excellent."--James R. Baron, The College of William and Mary
"The sort of inexpensive, practical edition we need."--J.C. Hogan, Allegheny College
"The price is right and next time I teach tragedy I would definitely consider using it."--Victor Estevez, University of Missouri
"A wonderful translation!"--Elizabeth Kiss, Princeton University