Euripides 'Bacchae' translated by Frederic Raphael & Kenneth McLeish
Euripides was a Greek playwright who lived at the end of the golden age of ancient Greek culture. Born about 480 BC he saw the power of Athens rise and then disastrously fall. His plays, although apparently about mythological subjects, are frequently clear and powerful commentaries about politics and morals. Bacchae, his last play, first performed in 405 BC, presents the struggle between Pentheus the king of Thebes and the god Dionysos. In trying to stop the ecstatic revels that Dionysos is inducing in his people Pentheus walks a path that can only lead to his destruction. I found the translation powerful and direct, cleanly outlining the arguments of the protagonists, and preventing the piece descending into melodrama. So powerful is the writing that I was able to enjoy the play even while sitting in the airport!
72 pages, published by Nick Hern Books.
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