In a recent interview with the NYTBR, Bill Clinton mentioned that he often (yearly?) reads Seamus Heaney's version of "Philoctetes", "The Cure at Troy" (1990/1991). I have not read Greek drama in *forever*, and "Philoctetes" is a play I was not even aware of, let alone read.
So, to prep for reading Heaney, I wanted to read the original. (Have not read the other 3 plays in this volume). Excellent Notes and ancillary material. The translation is into modern language, but sadly lacks the rhythm in the lines. I also have a Cambridge edition, and there the lines are more "poetic".
This is so nice, when I was young in the '70's, and apt to read Greek Drama, they just did not have well annotated editions like this!
Fun read! Now on to Heaney.

I had planned to only read Electra and Ajax, but I enjoyed those too so much that I decided to read all four of the plays: Ajax, Electra, Women of Trachis, and Philoctetes.

These plays by ancient Greek drama great Sophocles delves into the private lives and crises of the heroes and villains of the Trojan War and Greek mythology, especially their children and spouses .

In this edition the language is written in free verse and is easy to understand. The language is emotional at times, pleasant, sarcastic, and occasionally even there's a glimmer of humor. At the end there is a small section of notes for each play.

can we be content
when we scan the divine and find the gods are evil?

honestly, i finished this largely out of spite. i'm glad i did, because the last play was the best of all four, but this was so hard to finish. the language and structure seemed so average (and i'm not sure if that's a translation thing or not), but i usually find greek plays so lovely.

women of trachis: 3 stars
- i didn't feel bad for hercules at all which probably took away a lot
- the most interesting character was probably hyllus, or poor iole who didn't get a single word
- interesting premise, and i liked it more when i explained it to somebody else

ajax: 2 stars
- super disappointed because this was the one that i was most anticipating, but in reality it was kind of stupid
- felt like i was skim-reading most of menelaus' speeches
- and then ajax i couldn't find any sympathy for at all, because he wanted to kill the greeks even before his madness?
- although it did have one really beautiful passage:
"The winter's snow-strewn paths make room in time
For summer's fruits; and night's eternal round
Resigns for day's white steeds to light her flame;
The breath of awesome winds can lay to rest
The roaring sea; and sleep that conquers all
Unlocks its chains and cannot keep its hold.
Must we not also learn to know our place?

electra: 2 stars
- i just really hate agamemnon
- like really
- and electra was really annoying too
- the sister was my favourite

philoctetes: 4 stars
- my favourite of them all!!!
- the premise was good, the characters were likeable
- odysseus was a sneakly little shit as usual
- this is the first time ever in my life i've felt even a slither of anything nice towards neoptolemus (in fact, i really liked him):
"Double-dealing is not my nature,
Neither, they tell me, was it my father's way."

so all in all, they weren't awful, but there was just so much to dislike.

I loved it so much more than I expected I would! A welcome treat from other, extremely dense and convoluted ‘older’ literature (though not ancient like this).

The themes are incredibly relevant to modern society - from dealing with suicide and mental health issues, to isolation and exclusion, to jealousy, infidelity, manipulation and betrayal. The characters are so realistic, it’s easy to see why this mythology was once upon a time accepted as fact.

It’s quite difficult to pick a favourite. I enjoyed ‘Philoctetes’ the least - that is to say, it was a little slower than the rest and went round in circles a bit too much while the suspense built - however, it’s still a fantastic play. ‘Ajax’, ‘Electra’ and ‘Women of Trachis’ were all equally brilliant, but ‘Ajax’ conversely to the other two. It took the form of philosophical debate more than the successive plays, which were moreso really juicy, invigorating stories. The translator (who, by the way, is outstanding - I never would have guessed that he worked on this in the 1950s, it was so advanced!) mentioned in his introduction that many folks believe that the distribution of action in ‘Ajax’ is unsavoury, but I was enthralled by the intellectual wit of Teucer in the wake of the death of his half-brother.

This is going to be the text I’ll recommend to my friends out of all my recent reads for the next six months or so - not to be missed!

like surprisingly stellar

اودیسئوس: هنگامی که من به سن و سال تو بودم بازوانم بیشتر به فرمانم بود تا زبانم لیکن امروز بر اثر تجارب دیرین و حوادث بسیار دریافته ام که زبان در این جهان بیشتر به کار مردان می آید تا زور بازو.

(فیلوکتتس)
-----------------

دیانیرا : آدمی هر قدر خود را بیگناه بداند دلی که گناه کرده است خویشتن را از او بهتر میشناسد.

(زنان تراخیس)
-----------------

الکترا : ... چون عمر آدمی برآید و ساعت موعود فرارسد، دیگر هیچ چیز به حال او سودمند واقع نمی شود.

(الکترا)
-----------------

آگاممنون : خصمی که داشتی به خاک هلاک افتاده است و تو باز او را حرمت میگذاری و تجلیل میکنی!
اودیسئوس : آری چون نیکی او هزار بار بیش از دشمنی او بود.

(آژاکس)

I confess, I don't know about plays like the Colonus but there's always time to warm up to it. Antigone, though, and Oedipus make claims that Euripides is the most modern of the playwrights sound exaggerated.

These plays, particularly Ajax and Philoctetes, are just too good to be true. So many timeless themes of honor v survival, will v fate, family v justice, sorrow, the psychological trauma of war, the unintended consequences of measures taken out of insecurity, the addiction to misery, and the ultimate hollowness of class and rank distinctions when it comes down to it.

اگه سراغ این کتاب اومدین که نمایشنامه الکترا رو بخونید باید بگم الکترایی که اورپید نوشته از این الکترای سوفوکل خیلی بهتره و پیشنهاد میشه وقتتون رو برای سوفوکل نزارین برید اورپید بخونید

اورپید به داستان بیشتر شاخ و برگ داده و همین باعث شده از الکترای سوفوکل که میتونم بگم نصف بیشتر آه و ناله الکترا بود سرتر باشه

و مابقی نمایشنامه های این کتاب
زنان تراخیس و آژاکس قشنگ بودند فیلوکتتس چنگی به دل نزد حداقل برای من.

Sophocles...he is great...:)

Poor Clytemnestra! Poor Heracles! Poor Ajax! Fate, it seems, is filled with justice, and it paid all them their due. But most of all, poor Philoctetes! It is a pathetic mind that would rather see a wound glorified than healed.

I read this for a class on Sophocles, and liked both the explanatory material by the editors, and the translations of the plays themselves. My favorites were definitely Philoctetes (I had never heard of this one before) and Ajax.