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Sophocles II: Ajax, Women of Trachis, Electra, Philoctetes

sophocles david grene michael jameson john moore richmond lattimore

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"These authoritative translations consign all other complete collections to the wastebasket."Robert Brustein, The New Republic

"This is it. No qualifications. Go out and buy it everybody."Kenneth Rexroth, The Nation

"The translations deliberately avoid the highly wrought and affectedly poetic; their idiom is contemporary....They have life and speed and suppleness of phrase."Times Education Supplement

"These translations belong to our time. A keen poetic sensibility repeatedly quickens them; and without this inner fire the most academically flawless rendering is dead."Warren D. Anderson, American Oxonian

"The critical commentaries and the versions themselves...are fresh, unpretentious, above all, functional."Commonweal

"Grene is one of the great translators."Conor Cruise O'Brien, London Sunday Times

"Richmond Lattimore is that rara avis in our age, the classical scholar who is at the same time an accomplished poet."Dudley Fitts, New York Times Book Review

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,-0450

This edition

Format
254 pages, Paperback
Published
May 15, 1969 by University of Chicago Press
ISBN
9780226307862
ASIN
0226307867
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Ajax

    Ajax

    Ajax or Aias (Ancient Greek: Αἴας, gen. Αἴαντος) was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea, and king of Salamis. After Achilles, he was the mightiest of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. Ajax was a huge man, head and shoulders large...

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sophocles

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Sophocles (497/496 BC-406/405 BC), (Greek: Σοφοκλής; German: Sophokles, Russian: Софокл, French: Sophocle) was an ancient Greek tragedian, known as one of three from whom at least one play has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus; and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost fifty years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens which took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won twenty-four, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.
The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays, though each was part of a different tetralogy (the other members of which are now lost). Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (attributed to Sophocles by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by Themistius), thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
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99 reviews All reviews
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Dontsweattt
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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I only had to read Electra for my Mythology class but I wish I had more time to read the other stories. This version was vastly more entertaining that the Orestia which I had previously and it was only a retake on the second play from the Trilogy. This one was much more to the point and fixed a lot of the loop holes present in the other stories.
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Eonir
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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I like Sophocles version of the character Electra. She was my main unanswered question after reading the Oresteia. Read Philoctetes and I wish the other versions of this play by other authors survived. I like that it ties into other legends and stories.
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critic
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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Traakhiin neidot - Erittäin mielenkiintoinen rakenne: ekassa puoliskossa "päähenkilönä" Herakleen vaimo Deianeira, tokassa itse Herakles. Valitettavasti just tän takia lopahti mun kiinnostus näytelmään, sillä eka puolisko oli huomattavasti parempi imo. Deinaeiran tunteet ja mielenliikkeet super kiintoisia, mutta sitten Deianeiran kuoleman jälkeen näytelmä keskittyykin Herakleen ja Hylloksen isä-poika-suhteen tarkasteluun ja Deianeira unohtuu lopulta käytännössä kokonaan. Bleh.

Aias - Mua henkkoht hirveästi kiinnostava mytologinen aihe: Akhilleuksen kuoleman jälkeen hänen aseidensa aiheuttama kiista Aiaan ja Odysseuksen välillä sekä Aiaan karjansurmaamisraivokohtaus ja itsemurha. Sofokles käsittelee aihetta sinänsä ihan kivalla tavalla, mutta näytelmä ei jotenkaan tehnyt muhun sen suurempaa vaikutusta. Aiaan itsemurhan tapahtuminen näyttämöllä (eikä näyttämön ulkopuolella, kuten kuolemat yleensä antiikin kreikkalaisessa tragediassa) on jännä kuriositeetti.

Filoktetes - Toinen mielenkiintoinen mytologinen aihe: yksin sairaana autiolle saarelle hylätyn Filokteteen noutaminen Troijaan, jotta Troijan sota saataisiin vihdoinkin päätökseen. Onneksi myyttiaihetta on käsitelty kiintoisammin kuin Aiaassa. Filktotetesta noutamaan lähetetyt Neoptolemos ja Odysseus ovat monitahoisia hahmoja, joista on kiva lukea. Filokteteksen yksinäisyyden kokemuksissa on ainesta eksistentiaaliseen pohdintaan.

Elektra - Tää on ehdottomasti mun lemppari näistä neljästä Sofokleen näytelmästä, ja myöskin mun lemppari Aiskhyloksen, Sofokleen ja Euripideen samasta aiheesta (Elektran ja Oresteen suorittama äidinmurha) kirjoittamista kolmesta näytelmästä. Elektra on todella mielenkiintoinen päähenkilö (vaikkakin vihaan vihaan vihaan sitä, että hän on Agamemnonin puolella), näytelmässä kuvataan naisten välisiä suhteita (Elektra ja sisko Khrysothemis, Elektra ja äiti Klytaimnestra). Valitettavasti loppu on hiukan keskinkertainen, sillä Orestes ilmestyy paikalle ja hoitaa homman.

Hienot suomennokset ja mukana myös erittäin loistavat oheismatskut (kattavat viitteet, esseitä, kartat, nimien ääntämisohjeita...).
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cynzx
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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به همون اندازه که درک اساطیر یونان و روابط خدایان و انسان هاشون برام سخت و پیچیده است هنر و ادبیات یونان رو دیرتر درک میکنم... و انتظار میرفت تو آثار سوفوکل این پیچیدگی ها کمتر باشه!!
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spectre699
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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It's very sad that from 123 plays written by the great master of Greek Tragedies Sophocles only 7 complete plays survived.

In this collection we know how Sophocles can make a great drama from a small tiny event as in Ajax, We know he is the real master of The Greek tragedies compared to Aeschylus and Euripides reading his version of Electra, We know his charm in presenting characters even if they are silent, with only two sentences "Iole in Women of Trachis ", Finally we see in a Greek play a well presented psychological struggle "Neoptolemus in Philoctetes".

I liked all his seven plays "complete works" which is very rare.

Here's my review about each play
n  n n  n n  n n  n
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mwp2010
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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Drugi tom tragedii Sofoklesa to kolejne cztery utwory uzupełniające zachowany w pełni dorobek siedmiu sztuk najbardziej znanego greckiego tragika. Dwie pierwsze, czyli Ajas i Filoktet są bardzo ciekawym spojrzeniem na wojnę trojańską, które skupia się nie na heroizmie jej uczestników, a na ich wadach, podłości i ciemnej stronie jej prowadzenia tym bardziej przez tak długi czas. Osobiście uwielbiam to jak przedstawiony w tych dwóch tragediach jest Odyseusz, którego dopiero co poznałem jako wspaniałą postać w Odysei Homera, która w przedstawieniu Sofoklesa okazuje się jako najbardziej śliska z bohaterów wojny trojańskiej. Na osobne wyróżnienie zasługuje genialny monolog Ajaksa w Epejsodionie II. Elektra z kolei to znany motyw zemsty, przedstawiony w bardzo interesujący sposób z perspektywy innej niż mściciela. Jest to chyba najbardziej oryginalna ze wszystkich tragedii Sofoklesa.

Najmniej podobały mi się Trachinki, być może już z winy przesytu.

Podobnie jak w przypadku pierwszego tomu tekst Libery jest niewiarygodnie plastyczny, czyta się wspaniale i daje dużo przyjemności z obcowania z antykiem.
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ringoo4
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 1,2025
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Read Philoctetes for Freshman Seminar 2010.
Read Ajax in 2011 before a performance of it at American Repertory Theater in Boston. Re-read Philoctetes for pre-lecture Seminar/lecture on 4/08/11.
Re-read Philoctetes and Ajax in 2011. Wrote this essay on Philoctetes: http://mwfogleman.tumblr.com/post/189...
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saipulipoel
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April 1,2025
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Αν μπορείς να διαβάσεις τον Αίαντα στο πρωτότυπο, γεύεσαι μια διπλή εμπειρία θεατρικής τέχνης και γλωσσικής μυσταγωγίας.
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