This comment is for AJAX, not the other plays in this collection. Simply: a very good translation of a great play.

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.

I liked this collection of plays even better than the more well-known collection of Sophocles' plays that Oxford prints (which had the three plays Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone).

1. Ajax

I read this as basically the story about how a great, renowned person can have a great life, but then end it poorly if he allows himself to be eaten up by entitlement and a desire for revenge. Ajax goes literally insane at the end of his life, ends up committing degrading acts, and when he realizes what he has done, he (you guessed it) kills himself (as is mandatory in all Greek tragedies). Others are angry at him and briefly consider disrespecting his body (by not burying it) but, this is wrong to do even to one's enemies, and so they do consent to bury it. There is a really good peaceful bittersweet ending to how Ajax dies.

But with that said, I'm not going to go into as much detail on this play, mostly because I just want to get to the other three.

2. Women of Trachis

This should really have been called Deianeira. It's the story of the jilted wife, who has gotten older and lost some of the beauty of her youth, her husband (Heracles) is always away, and then (in this case) he sends home a recently captured younger woman, Iole, to be his new concubine (basically). Unfortunately, when Deianeira first meets Iole, she takes pity on Iole and promises to take good care of her, before realizing exactly who Iole is to her husband. She is a woman of her word though.

This is an under-told story, if I can make up that word. I'm surprised at how many good proto-feminist stories that Sophocles told. It really focuses on the pain of Deianeira and I found myself really feeling for her. I felt for Iole, too, who had no choice in the matter.

But then on top of that pain, Deianeira makes a mistake. She uses a supposed magic potion on her husband (indirectly, by applying it to part of a robe that she sends to Heracles to wear). However, when Heracles wears it and the potion comes into contact with his chest, it eats away at it and slowly kills him; it's literally eating his heart out. He thinks she intentionally tried to kill him. She discovers what has happened and that she was tricked by the person who gave her this "magic potion," a centaur who was actually enacting a final act of vengeance when he gave it to her.

When she realizes what she has done (she has actually killed the very person that she was trying to draw close to her), she kills herself (as all Greek tragedies are mandated to end). This story just really strikes so close to home. This is a universal powerful truth. When we try to control others it usually backfires and we get the very opposite of what we wanted. It also burns especially to have insult added to injury because she was already in such a terrible position. To be so terribly treated by someone but to still love them and want them to love you--that's a hard thing that many people have experienced. I am filled with empathy for these stories.

These are the kind of stories that need to be told more. When I was a kid I was told the myths that appealed to boys/men, but there are myths that were written that appeal much more to the experience of girls/women. We need to bring this part of our cannon much more to the forefront, alongside the others.

3. Electra

This is one of the best stories that I have read of Sophocles so far. I say this despite the fact that Electra, the hero, is really quite un-empathetic in many ways. Her father, King Agamemnon, was murdered by her mother and her affair partner who then became her new husband afterwards. To add insult to injury, Electra has then had to live with her mother and step-father for years and years. She has never stopped grieving for her father, which has made them very angry with her, and she's almost never allowed to leave the house, etc.

She has been waiting all of these years for her brother to grow up in a distant city and then come back and avenge her father's death. The play is largely about that happening, and when he does get revenge on both perpetrators at the end, it's satisfying--although it's interesting, the revenge actually happens off camera: you hear it happening instead of seeing it, but somehow this only makes it more riveting. It actually feels like there are elements of horror in this play.

It has traces of Antigone. Again, you have a young woman who loves her brother greatly and who is grieving a family member who has been killed and disrespected, and continues to grieve them in the morally right way despite that having majorly negative consequences for herself. She's not as relatable as Antigone because she is still grieving after maybe 20 years or something, and one can see her being annoying about it. When her mother comes on scene and you hear about why she killed her husband, you actually start to relate to her mother a bit--although you still don't "root" for her, you are able to at least understand her perspective.

In fact, this play really doesn't have a "side" almost, even though there's the very obvious "side" of Electra and her brother Orestes getting revenge on Electra's mother and stepfather, at the same time, every single character is actually humanized, their perspective is shown in such a way that you can understand them a little. The stepfather is perhaps the least relatable. But you really get a taste of pretty much all of the characters. And when the revenge finally happens, it's not portrayed as some positive healing thing...I interpreted it as being portrayed as a horrific fact.

Electra shows a different side of herself when interacting with several different people. She's almost a series of reactions to other people. She doesn't change up through the end of the play; she never seems to come to the realization that revenge will not heal her.

All the same...it's hard to explain why, but there's just something about this play that is different. It's not a typical tragedy. But it's not really a celebration of revenge either. Electra's love of her brother Orestes is something appealing. It also has some of the best actual action of any of the plays, including a really good telling of a chariot race. It's funny how good that that mini-story is, because, that whole story is just fabricated to give the soon-to-be victims a misplaced sense of ease at thinking that Orestes has died (and so not guess the truth, which is that Orestes has actually come back to avenge his father on them this very day).

I will need to re-read this play a few times to understand why I liked it so much. I'm sorry I can't give better explanations as to why, yet.

4. Philoctetes

This guy was annoying because again, throwing a pity party, lame (which is why I don't enjoy the two Oedipus plays as much as I should). But there was more to this one. There is Philoctetes, whom Odysseus is trying to trick into coming back to help them with the Trojan war, or, failing that, to at least steal his magical bow (given to him by the gods). But there is a third character, Neoptolemus, who Odysseus uses to try and trick Philoctetes.

Neoptolemus is the more interesting character, he's younger but also jaded, he relates to Philoctetes a lot, and he changes his mind a couple of times and actually helps Philoctetes (by giving back his bow to him), even to their detriment, and respects Philoctetes' decision to still not help them. And he's willing to fight Odysseus and all the Greeks over this. He also tries to persuade Philoctetes, but he's not going to fight him to force his way. He seems much more motivated by empathy and much more capable of gaining perspective than any of the other Greek characters I've read about thus far. I really like him.

There's also a classic Ex Deus Machina at the end, a literal god-in-the-machine, as Heracles shows up in glory and convinces Philoctetes to go with them. Some people dislike this, but when I read it, I actually viewed it as the grace of God that sometimes forces us to change even though we know it's going to be painful and we don't want to do it, all the while knowing it's going to be good for us. Sometimes God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. I think of stories like Jonah. I'm glad for Philoctetes that God pushed him out of his comfort zone, and glad for the times in my life and others when God has done that.

Conclusion: these plays are more readable, to me, than the more popular ones of Sophocles that I have read. Of all Sophocles' plays, my favorites are:
Antigone
Women of Trachis
Electra
Ajax
Philoctetes

So, 4/5 are in this volume. I will say, there are some parts of the Greek tragedy that make it not necessarily my favorite genre. But there is a lot of poetic and life depth to it. I want to continue to re-read these five plays in the years to come and continue to mine their depths.

Let me suffer what I must suffer. Literal healing.

A wonderful play, far from whatever idea I might have about what a Greek tragedy is supposed to be. It will be useful to look at Aristotle’s Poetics and see where that “supposed to be” comes from. It's so simple on the surface, but there's a lot going on and I'm sure I don't understand all of it. It's thoughtful and elegiac, and I'm tempted to call it Sophocles' "Tempest," especially with the emphasis on language, the playwright's tool. (Odysseus: "Words are what matter; words have power.")

Greeks with issues

In the USA there's a social category of people known as "airheads" for whom anything that happened before the year 2000 is "like, major antiquity, guy". What can we say, then, about plays that were written over 2,400 years ago ? For most of my life, the mention of Greek plays was on a par with cod liver oil. Probably good for me, but best avoided if possible. I admit, it was the airhead-lite approach. Recently, I finally buckled down and decided it was now or never. I'm not sorry I did.
The four plays by Sophocles in this collection deal with Iliad spinoffs---events connected to that ancient epic with some of the Trojan War characters already known to the Greeks of the author's time---with legends of the gods (Hercules or Heracles, as they write it) or with both at once. Each play uses a chorus to reflect inner thinking or thinking by "other people", whoever they may be. The translation in this volume brings a modicum of modern English to the plays, rendering them very understandable. Purists might not appreciate that, but I, for one, found myself better able to follow the deeper meanings of the plays because I didn't have to wade through archaic English. (Remember how we struggled through Shakespeare?) AJAX, ELECTRA, WOMEN OF TRACHIS, and PHILOCTETES jolted me out of my neo-airhead tendencies and amazed me by their modernity. Their form may be ancient, stilted to modern eyes, and lacking much action, but the themes reveal human nature as if these plays all were written yesterday. The same dilemmas pose themselves, the same contrasts in human character---the straight and the crooked, the mean and the noble, the forgiving and the vengeful. Actions well meant turn out to have disastrous consequences. Greed and jealousy run rampant. AJAX, the earliest work here, is a little less dramatic than the other three, but does deal with "temporary insanity". I don't have the silver tongue and deconstruction abilities of a literary expert, but if these plays don't knock your socks off---just because of their relevance to 2018 if for no other reason---then I don't know what will. Don't wait 40 years. Delicious cod liver oil, no lie.

Ajas

Tragiczny spór o zbroję Achillesa między Ajasem a Odyseuszem. Łup zasądzono na korzyść sprytnego Odyseusza, a decyzję tę Ajas przypłacił gniewem tak silnym, że postradał rozum. Na nic płacz i prośby żony, niczym dla niego wizja własnego dziecka w niewoli, Ajas postanowił zmazać swoje winy w jedyny sposób, jaki dopuszczał – pozbawiając się życia. Karą za jego przewinienia miał być zakaz pogrzebania ciała, której to decyzji sprzeciwił się otwarcie największy wróg Ajasa - Odyseusz. Czy był to akt bezinteresownej dobroci, a może litość ta miała drugie dno?

Filoktet

Kiedy twoi koledzy z wojska zostawiają cię na bezludnej wyspie, bo jesteś trochę niedysponowany, masz całkowite prawo się zdenerwować. Ewentualnie wystrzelaj ich z łuku przy pierwszej okazji.

Filoktet był światowej klasy łucznikiem, który otrzymał łuk w darze od samego Heraklesa. Uzbrojony w cudowną broń, wybrał się na wojnę przeciw Troi. Niestety, podczas postoju na wyspie Filoktet wkurzył nie tę boginię co trzeba i strzegąca świątyni nimfa sprawiła, że ukąsiła go żmija. Paskudna ropiejąca rana i krzyki chorego ciążyły załodze, więc dowódcy postanowili porzucić cierpiącego na bezludnej wyspie. Wykonawcą rozkazu był Odyseusz, jak się można domyślić, Filoktet nie darzył go za to sympatią. Wydawało się, że problem został rozwiązany, aż do momentu, w którym wróżbita przepowiedział, że Grecy nie zdobędą Troi bez tego konkretnego łucznika. Jak postąpi wojownik, z którym postąpiono w tak okrutny sposób? Wyrzeknie się krzywd w imię zwycięstwa, czy może będzie życzył Grekom wszystkiego najgorszego?

Elektra

Mordercza zemsta i biadolenie Elektry.

Klitajmestra, matka Orestesa i Elektry, zabija Agamemnona, swojego męża i ojca obojga, za co Orestes w akcie zemsty zabija ją i jej kochanka Egista, a Elektra... jojczy nad swoim życiem, przez całą tragedię. Sofokles pochwalił to krwawe rozwiązanie problemu, bogowie są zachwyceni. Ja również (tylko ciii, nikomu nie mówcie).

Trachinki

(Nie)wierność małżeńska w wykonaniu Heraklesa.

Znudziła ci się stara żona? Jeżeli masz zamiar sprowadzić do domu młodą kochanicę, to nie miej później pretensji, że prawowita małżonka obdaruje cię trującą koszulą, po założeniu której umrzesz w męczarniach. Dejanira była za dobra, żałowała swojego postępku, ja bym dodatkowo posypywała rany granulkami do udrażniania rur. A Herakles miał jeszcze czelność sapać i obwiniać Dejanirę o własną śmierć. Trzeba było panować nad swoimi popędami, stary dziadu.

Sophocles is a master of plot development and timing, an expert at building and releasing tension – even if the audience knows what is going to happen. That is immensely difficult to do. He is excellent at twisting the expectations of the audience and the characters.

Compared to Aeschylus, Sophocles seems less ornate and more direct. (Although, of course, I’m reading a translation.) He uses few allusions, less imagery and plainer language. Sophocles cannot be accused, as Aeschylus is, of violence to the Greek language.

I find, though, I’m not pulled into the plays intellectually. The plays I’ve read so far don’t address the compelling questions about life that interest me. They are well-plotted stories, but of a very particular character and a unique situation. Well told, well plotted, and even the characters are well formed, but the plays don’t touch on themes of the overall human condition.

Oedipus the King – ***** Is there another play so perfectly plotted? Even though the audience knows the ending, the suspense builds as Oedipus gets a glimpse of the truth, but then it wanes, only to wax and wane several more times as Oedipus nears the catastrophic truth, before, finally, the crushing reality is revealed. It’s full of wonderful ironies. Yes, there are numerous preposterous coincidences, but Sophocles manages them brilliantly to create an incredibly intense, tight, claustrophobic drama. (09/14)

Ajax – *** The speech where Ajax tells the chorus and his wife that he’s going to the shore to “bury his sword” is probably one of best ironic speeches ever written. Has he recovered his wits and is ready to accept his dishonor, or does he plan to do himself harm? It is a great passage and the pathos is palpable. Overall, the play is good, but I wouldn’t call it a “must read.” It covers a man dealing with his dishonor, but Ajax is a flawed character and his death ends his suffering but causes the suffering of many others. (That’s probably true of most suicides.) (09/14)

Electra – *** This is not one of Sophocles’ stronger plays. It is long-winded and full of whining and kvetching. The play consists mostly of Electra complaining endlessly about her situation, broken up by a few mistaken-identify/recognition scenes (which also include Electra complaining). I prefer Aeschylus’ telling of this tale in The Libation Bearers. It is more emotionally and sexually charged, not to mention more ethically complex. Sophocles presents Electra’s and Orestes’ story as a simple revenge play, without much thought of the complexity of the crime nor consideration about the implications of killing your own mother. The end is quite strange with Aegisthus walking freely to his death. (As is Electra’s gleeful anticipation of her mother’s death.) (09/16) (re-read 09/17)

Oh, how I love a Greek play!

1. Women of Trachis - 3

2. Ajax - 4

3. Electra - 4. I was wondering why this felt familiar and then realized this is a continuation of "The Oresteia" (which reminds me, I need to re-read that...)

4. Philoctetes - 4. Odysseus, the cunning asshole, always on brand.

Translations that have stood the test of time, though I've always found them more staid than necessary.

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.

On kerrassaan uskomatonta, että melkein 2500 vuotta vanhoja näytelmiä on säilynyt meidän päiviimme asti ja jopa oikein mukava määrä. Antiikin Kreikassa oli kaksi näytelmäkirjailijaa ylitse muiden, Aiskhylos ja Sofokles, joista jälkimmäinen herra lahjoitti maailmalle mm. Oidipus-kompleksin nimen, vaikkakaan se ei kuulu tähän kokoelmaan. Muuten tässä neljän näytelmän kokoelmassa pelataan samoille teemoilla kuin aikansa tragedioissa yleensäkin ja tärkeintä tuntuu olleen kosto. Tuo karmea kreikkalainen ja mielellään myös naisen kosto. Totta kai kaikki muutkin kostivat kokemansa vääryydet aina kentaureista lähtien ja jumaliin asti eikä oikeastaan kukaan voinut uskoa olevansa turvassa, jos oli jotain asiatonta joskus innostunut tekemään. Lisäksi vuosikaudet riehunut Troijan sota antaa hyvän lähtökohdan tarinoille, mitä kaikkea epätoivoista onkaan tehty sodan voittamiseksi. Näiden kansien sisällä seikkailevat Odysseus, Ajax, Elektra ja kumppanit eikä teksti ole suinkaan niin puisevaa kuin voisi ensihätään kuvitella. Vuorosanat solisevat vaivattomasti ja välillä jopa humoristisesti. Tua Korhosen, Tommi Nuopposen ja Vesa Vahtikarin teos on erinomainen portti muinaiseen maailmaan, siinä on neljän klassikon ensimmäiset suomennokset sekä huolellinen perehdytys antiikin Kreikan teatteriin itseensä ja kuhunkin näytelmään eri tulkintoineen. Täältä lähti se kaikki, mitä nykyään katsotaan iltaisin televisiosta.

نمایشنامه صوتی الکترا رو از "پادکست الف" گوش دادم

پادکست الف کار بزرگی در حق من کرد با بازخوانی نمایشنامه های یونان باستان،اگه نبود احتمالش خیلی کم بود که سراغشون برم