Only read Electra for uni... but will be revisiting.

pains me to say it ampak za nekatere pisce sem vesela, da so mrtvi.
no offense ampak to me je najbolj spominjalo na igre, ki so jih meli v Braavosu v GOT.... in to mislim na najslabsi nacin
komaj prebrala, iskreno, res sem se mucila - Sofoklej, na primer, v primerjavi ful berljiv
pa tudi zelo questionable pogledi?? tip si zasluzi nagrado in hvalo, ker ni posilil mlade punce, ko "bi jo lahko"???
evripid NE pocivaj v miru, upam, da te je vsaka beseda, ki sem jo prebrala, obrnila v grobu

Sophocles is better

I liked the Sophocles version best, but this one was good as well. It's interesting to see how the same story is retold in different ways along time -until the latest Eugene O'Neill version. They all have so many little differences and so much in common at the same time. There could even be a current version of Electra!

My focus was Euripides 'Electra', to add to the range of classical texts stemming from Homer's The Iliad, and the mythological events of the Trojan War. This play occurs after Agamemnon's return to Argos after his victory in Troy, and after his murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra. I read Electra after I had read Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra, and Aeschylus' Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers, so it was interesting to see what Euripides made use of from the myth and what he didn't.
I enjoyed the continued use of the Greek chorus, with the Farmer seemingly taking on some of the role here in summarising what had occurred up until the play's events, and the use of the gods to provide the audience with the 'verdict' on the actions of Orestes and Electra. In some texts they are wholly vindicated for exacting revenge on Clytemnestra for killing her husband, yet in this, they are exiled and yet again, Electra is 'given' to a man. Oh those gods really didn't see much use for women beyond the prize. No wonder Clytemnestra went off the rails like she did!
Able to be read in a single session, Electra, translated by John N Davie is an easy and engaging read, and the characters are infinitely more sympathetic than Aeschylus portrays them, even if Electra actually helps perform the murder of her mother in this version, and given how gruesome Aegisthus' murder actually is.

This translation, coming off the back of Anne Carson's An Oresteia was kind of tough to read. I know Carson's translations often cop a lot of slack for being too modern and thus taking the reader out of the story, but I dunno, I really enjoy her take. John Davie's translation kind of hurt my head to read.

I enjoyed the stories, and learning more about Euripidean tragedy, but overall I was kind of meh about it. Usually when I read plays I like to think about the staging and how lines would be read, but because of the archaic and direct nature of the translation, this was kind of impossible to do with any modern ideas (this, also stems from the fact that Greek plays were performed in big stadiums, where actions had to be narrated because the audience often couldn't see well what was going on, so the dialogue is pretty expository). Towards the end of every play I could feel myself wanting to count how many pages were left until the next one, which sucked, because I really wanted to enjoy these.

My favourite plays were Hecabe and Elektra.

i dont know how to rate school books. very interesting. she did in fact kill her mother. he did in fact kill his father. it did in fact not end well. euripides is a master of the stage. i put too much time into this.

pylades scored big time

yas

I have immersed myself in Ancient Greece this month in anticipation of Emily Wilson’s translation of the Iliad coming out 09/26/2013.

These plays are set after the battle of Troy has ended and in all of them, Andromache (Hector’s widow,) Hecabe (widowed Queen of Troy, mother of Hector and Paris,) Suppliant Women, Electra (daughter of Agamemon and Clytemnestra, sister of Iphigenia,) and Trojan Women Euripides shows the terrible toll war takes on women. All of these women, named relatives of famous men and nameless servants, are grieving for fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers as they face unknown futures torn from the family and home.

I found them all moving and effecting, especially Trojan Women in which the women of Troy are gathered on the shore, awaiting selection by the Greek victors before the women have to say goodbye to their mothers, sisters, and daughters to board Greek ships as spoils of war and sail to new lands where they will live out their lives as slaves or concubines, and while they wait the Greek soldiers throw torches into Troy and the women watch their once beautiful city burn.

I’m again reminded why these plays have remained important for over 2000 years.

‘ELECTRA: See, with this robe we cover you, we who felt hatred for you as well as love, to mark an end to great sorrows for this house.’

(5 stars to electra, 3-4.5 stars to the other plays)

Beautifully written and devastating