The Cure at Troy by seamus heaney

100 reviews All reviews

SmileToday191

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I'm not really into Greek mythology.

However, this particular piece related to it was extremely easy to follow.

The narrative flowed smoothly, and the concepts were presented in a straightforward manner.

It didn't require a deep prior knowledge of the complex and often convoluted world of Greek mythology.

Moreover, it was a quick read, which was an added bonus.

In a short span of time, I was able to get a good understanding of the story and its significance.

Despite my initial lack of interest in the subject matter, this text managed to engage me and hold my attention.

It served as a great introduction to Greek mythology for someone like me who is not overly familiar with it.

Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable and accessible read.

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Yemi_Hikari

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I have the ability to read this remarkable book of story poetry. It is truly so beautiful, and the message it conveys is of utmost importance in today's society. The book delves deep into the complex tension that exists between personal integrity and political expediency. It explores how these two forces often pull in opposite directions, creating a dilemma for individuals.

Moreover, it also examines the tension between systems and the internalized trauma that can hinder progress. This internalized trauma can have a profound impact on our lives, preventing us from moving forward and achieving our goals.

Overall, this book is an excellent read. It is thought-provoking, engaging, and offers valuable insights into the human condition. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in exploring these important themes.

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ChemicalRomance

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

The conflict between pride and duty is even more intense, and Philoctetes’ stubbornness seems to reverberate at a much higher volume. What I sense is lacking is the effort, which is clearly evident in some of the other translations by classicists, to suggest the possibility of meta-theatrical legerdemain in the final deus ex machina scene. In Sophoclean theater, the convention is to limit the number of actors to three. With the actors playing Philoctetes and Neoptolemus already on stage, it must have crossed the minds of the original audience that the actor playing Heracles is the same one who earlier played Odysseus in the play. It could also have dawned on the original audience - a thrilling possibility indeed - that what appears to be the god Heracles is actually Odysseus polutropos - the master strategist, the man of many twists and turns - disguised as Heracles, descending from a mekhane of his own devising (a warm-up project for the great wooden horse trick).

Finally, this is a brilliant interpretation of the Sophoclean classic. It is a beautiful, contemporary version - and should be read and evaluated as such, rather than simply as a translation.

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moonBlossom

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I guess I'm one of the few individuals who perceive Seamus Heaney's translations as rather prosaic and somewhat dull. His highly acclaimed translation of Beowulf left me with a sense of "meh." It was extremely plain, colloquial, and contemporary. And this holds true even with the odd line breaks randomly inserted. There was no meter, no rhythm. Once in a while, perhaps every 30 to 50 lines, he would employ an unusual word like "slabbering" or "hagged," or manage to turn a unique phrase such as "all throwing shapes" or develop a metaphor like “… Shining with self-regard like polished stones. / And their whole life spent admiring themselves for their own long-suffering.”

But for the most part, the language was充斥着ordinaries. These were randomly found just by opening to various pages: “nobody in his right mind,” “at the breaking point,” “this isn't just all loose talk,” “count your blessings,” “a score to settle,” “licking their wounds,” and so on.

In fact, such extensive ordinariness makes the exceptional lines seem jarring and out of place.

However, something interesting occurs when Heaney begins to rhyme in his choruses. The language and syntax heighten, deviate from the ordinary, become a little strange, and then the poetry gently soars. As in this famous passage: “History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme.”

The rhyme, even these jagged slant rhymes, forces the poet into the uncomfortable and unfamiliar. It takes away the straight and replaces it with the crooked. It takes away the ordinary and compels the extraordinary.

I recently witnessed a good performance of the play. There are numerous very long speeches in the play, and it's a pity that Heaney didn't seize the opportunity to truly let the language soar.

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Cookiefanatic

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

In a recent interview with the NYTBR, President Bill Clinton mentioned that he reads this book often, perhaps even yearly.

To prepare for reading it myself, as I haven't read Greek Drama in over 30 years, I obtained a scholarly edition of some of Sophocles' plays. After reading a Sophocles translation that was heavily annotated and came with a lot of ancillary material, and then reading this, I would say - go for the scholarly.

The flow and poetry of Heaney's "version" is nice, but Sophocles is no slouch either, even in translation. First performed in 1990 with Stephen Rea directing on stage, towards the end Heaney adds a couple of stanzas to update the message, which some say is about N Ireland, while others claim it could also refer to S Africa.

There are no notes here, but there is enough of the original Sophocles in it that reading an annotated translation makes the references understandable. Some obscure references are "explained" in Heaney's text, such as "Asclepius, the healer...", which Sophocles doesn't do. Sophocles simply names people and places without "explaining" what they are in the text. So that's another thing Heaney adds to the original.

It's a quick read and enjoyable enough. Remember that 2 Stars means "It was OK". It's better to read a good, annotated translation instead. For me, this doesn't add anything to the original (in translation - no, I don't read Greek).

Read the original. This lacks subtlety.

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riku_kaze

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Human beings often find themselves in a state of suffering.

They engage in acts of torture towards one another, causing pain and hurt.

As a result, they become hardened and less sensitive.

No matter how beautiful a poem, how powerful a play, or how moving a song may be,

none of them can fully make up for the wrongs that have been inflicted and endured.

It is a sad reality that we face.

My friend Will Gressman had a unique experience. He played the role of Philoctetes, who also had an injured foot.

The timing of it all was just brilliant.

Meanwhile, I was the Chorus, but a chorus of one. It was a rather weird situation, wasn't it?

Nevertheless, it was an interesting and memorable experience for both of us.

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marcos813

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Stunning translation/adaptation of Sophocles’ Philoctetes by the great Seamus Heaney. This work展现了 Heaney's卓越才华 in bringing the ancient Greek tragedy to life in a new and powerful way. The lines “Human beings have to bear up and face
Whatever’s meant to be. There’s a courage
And dignity in ordinary people
that can be breathtaking” capture the essence of the play. It reminds us that in the face of adversity, we must find the strength within ourselves to endure. Heaney's translation not only preserves the beauty and power of the original text but also makes it accessible to a modern audience. Through his words, we can see the struggles and triumphs of the characters, and be inspired by their courage and dignity. This translation is a testament to Heaney's status as one of the greatest poets of our time.

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jsc315

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Seamus Heaney presents us with a rendition of Sophocles' Philoctetes, the skilled archer in the Trojan War. After being bitten on the foot by a snake at a holy site, experiencing intense pain and emitting a dreadful odor, he is abandoned on the desert island of Lemnos by Odysseus and others. Ten years pass, and a prophecy by the seer Helenus, Priam's son, reveals to the Greeks that they can only triumph in the war by retrieving the master archer Philoctetes, who is entitled to possess Hercules' bow.

The play commences with Odysseus returning to the island of Lemnos to persuade Neoptolemus, Achilles' son, to bring back Philoctetes. Neoptolemus initially refuses but later relents. However, his task is far from simple.

Sophocles' Philoctetes, as well as Heaney's The Cure at Troy, delves into inquiries regarding the significance of the moral/ethical being. It pertains not only to each individual's morality and ethics (as in the case of Neoptolemus) but also to the perpetual internal struggle between individual and group aspirations.

It also prompts me to contemplate the meaning of the law (the orders given by Odysseus to Neoptolemus) and justice (the relationship established between Neoptolemus and Philoctetes). Law, by itself, is an order, a command that must be executed. Nevertheless, justice extends beyond that; it may even necessitate questioning the objectives and limitations of the law to achieve society's aim of a common good. Hannah Arendt provided a remarkable example of strict obedience to the orders of a higher authority without a single query in her Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil.

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The Cure at Troy

seamus heaney sophocles

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Philoctetes

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