Euripides Orestes Matthew Wright.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wright, Matthew (Matthew Ephraim), author.

Series:

Companions to Greek and Roman tragedy.

Companions to Greek and Roman tragedy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Euripides. Orestes.

Euripides.

Greek drama (Tragedy).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (177 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London Bloomsbury 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"'Orestes' was one of Euripides' most popular plays in antiquity. Its plot, which centres on Orestes' murder of his mother Clytemnestra and its aftermath, is exciting as well as morally complex; its presentation of madness is unusually intense and disturbing; it deals with politics in a way which has resonances for both ancient and modern democracies; and, it has a brilliantly unexpected and ironic ending. Nevertheless, 'Orestes' is not much read or performed in modern times. Why should this be so? Perhaps it is because 'Orestes' does not conform to modern audiences' expectations of what a 'Greek tragedy' should be. This book makes 'Orestes' accessible to modern readers and performers by explicitly acknowledging the gap between ancient and modern ideas of tragedy. If we are to appreciate what is unusual about the play, we have to think in terms of its impact on its original audience. What did they expect from a tragedy, and what would they have made of 'Orestes'?"--Bloomsbury Publishing

"Orestes" was one of Euripides' most popular plays in antiquity. Its plot, which centres on Orestes' murder of his mother Clytemnestra and its aftermath, is exciting as well as morally complex; its presentation of madness is unusually intense and disturbing; it deals with politics in a way which has resonances for both ancient and modern democracies; and, it has a brilliantly unexpected and ironic ending. Nevertheless, "Orestes" is not much read or performed in modern times. Why should this be so? Perhaps it is because "Orestes" does not conform to modern audiences' expectations of what a 'Greek tragedy' should be. This book makes "Orestes" accessible to modern readers and performers by explicitly acknowledging the gap between ancient and modern ideas of tragedy. If we are to appreciate what is unusual about the play, we have to think in terms of its impact on its original audience. What did they expect from a tragedy, and what would they have made of "Orestes"?

Contents:

Cover; Contents; Preface; 1. Setting the Scene; 2. Dramatic Structure and Performance; 3. Humans and Gods; 4. Late Euripides; 5. Politics; 6. Euripides' Cleverest Play; Notes; Guide to Further Reading; Bibliography; Glossary; A; D; E; F; G; H; I; K; L; M; O; P; S; T; Chronology; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; L; M; N; O; P; R; S; T; V; Z

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index

ISBN:

9781472521255

1472521250

9781472539786

1472539788

9781472521262

1472521269

OCLC:

861538328