The Oresteia

Category: Books,Literature & Fiction,History & Criticism

The Oresteia Details

From the Inside Flap "By far the best translation. Faithful to the original Greek text and eminently readable. The notes constitute a commentary in their own right."—Albert Henrichs, Harvard University"Hugh Lloyd-Jones's translation stands out very much from any other. The notes are first class and scholarly."—Jeffrey Rusten, Cornell University Read more From the Back Cover "By far the best translation. Faithful to the original Greek text and eminently readable. The notes constitute a commentary in their own right." (Albert Henrichs, Harvard University) Read more About the Author Hugh Lloyd-Jones was Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford and author of, among many titles, The Justice of Zeus (California, 1971). Read more

Reviews

The Oresteia is one the oldest tragedies we have. It is, of course, foolish to award this book anything less than five stars as it is one of Western Civilization's gems. This trilogy of plays deals with the murder of Agamemnon, the revenge by his son Orestes, and then Orestes' persecution and trial by the Erinyes: complex figures who can be thought of as personified curses.The major theme that spans across all three plays is the long arc of justice and the misfortune that befalls the household of anyone who violates the laws of the gods. Agamemnon's family is surely a cursed one, as generation after generation kill each other in retribution for the previous one's crimes.Another idea that I found interesting in the last play was Orestes' challenge of the Erinyes' sense of justice- that he acted justice in enacting revenge and that he should be exempt from the laws which have hitherto governed all of mankind. On what justification can mankind rebuke the gods and their doctrines? If the gods have a role in supporting society, as the Erinyes say they do, on what justification can we challenge the laws of our state when we know we've violated them?This particular edition of The Oresteia, the red one translated by Hugh Lloyd-Jones, is remarkable. There are extensive notes on each of the pages which are scholarly. For instance, they may explain how the ancient Greeks viewed etymology, and why the name "Helen" had a significant meaning to the Greeks because the root of "Helen" means destruction and because of Helen's responsibility for all of the destruction of the Trojan War. The notes will often explain to the reader the difference of the way Greeks viewed suffering, and how modern Christianity should not be used in interpreting passages to mean that suffering causes purifying. Rather, the suffering is merely a teacher that forces the recipient of understand his wrongdoing. The notes will also indicate where the original Greek text is either incomplete or corrupt.Taken as a whole, the notes comprise about half the length of this book. It can be overwhelming at first, but it allows for serious study. Also, the notes are at the bottom of the pages for easy reference.I highly recommend this copy of The Oresteia, especially if you're looking to return to this book many times over the course of your lifetime.

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