3 Review(s)

Aeschylus is a towering figure in western literature, the first of the great Greek playwrights, a dramatist whose work still has the power to inspire and terrify readers and theatre-goers alike. The four plays in this volume demonstrate the full range and depth of Aeschylus's genius. Persians is the only surviving tragedy to draw on contemporary history, the Greeks' extraordinary victory over Persia in 480 BC. In Seven Against Thebes, a royal family is cursed with self-destruction, in a remorseless tragedy that anticipates the grandeur of the later Oresteia. Suppliants portrays the wretched plight of the daughters of Danaus, fleeing from enforced marriage. And in the hugely influential Prometheus Bound, Prometheus is relentlessly persecuted by Zeus for benefitting mankind in defiance of the god. Christopher Collard's highly readable new translation is accompanied by an introduction that sets the plays in their original context; by comprehensive explanatory notes on the language, structure, and content of the plays, and by an up-to-date bibliography, five maps, and an index. Salient Features A new, accurate, and readable translation of four major Greek tragedies, including the unique historical tragedy Persians and the hugely influential Prometheus Bound. The translation is based on the most authoritative edition of the Greek text. The detailed Introduction sets the plays in their original context and considers them as theatrical and poetic works. Comprehensive explanatory notes gloss details of language and content, structure and form. Includes up-to-date bibliography, five maps, and an index. Companion volume to OWC Oresteia, also tr. Christopher Collard