Oresteia

“Peter Meineck’s new rendition of the Oresteia is that rare and wonderful thing: a text accessible to the Greekless audience while still preserving the vocabulary of Aeschylus. Those of us who have seen Peter Meineck's performances have long marveled at his ability to turn Greek into clear English, how he does not do ‘versions’ of the plays, how he does not rewrite the ancients into modern jargon (even his comedies maintain more Aristophanic text than is usual). Here lines that students have always needed explicated stand clear. . . . Helene Foley has provided a fine introduction for this translation. Introduction and translation together provide an exciting text, one that should be widely read, widely used.” —Karelisa Hartigan, University of Florida, in The Classical Outlook

SKU
17403g

Aeschylus
Translated, with Notes, by Peter Meineck
Introduction by Helene P. Foley

1998 - 224 pp.

Ebook edition available for $11.75, see purchasing links below.

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Paper 978-0-87220-390-7
$13.50
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-0-87220-390-7
$2.00

Winner of the American Translators Association Lewis Galantière Award.

“Peter Meineck’s new rendition of the Oresteia is that rare and wonderful thing: a text accessible to the Greekless audience while still preserving the vocabulary of Aeschylus. Those of us who have seen Peter Meineck's performances have long marveled at his ability to turn Greek into clear English, how he does not do ‘versions’ of the plays, how he does not rewrite the ancients into modern jargon (even his comedies maintain more Aristophanic text than is usual). Here lines that students have always needed explicated stand clear. . . . Helene Foley has provided a fine introduction for this translation. Introduction and translation together provide an exciting text, one that should be widely read, widely used.”
     —Karelisa Hartigan, University of Florida, in The Classical Outlook

“[A] translation for the stage by an experienced man of the theater. Its virtues are very real, and, though Meineck makes them seem easy, very hard to achieve. The idiom is contemporary without yielding to the siren song of gimmicky updating; it manages to be clear without betraying Aeschylus’ complexity or sacrificing his intricate imagery. What makes it effective on stage makes it work on the page, too. With the added guidance of Helene Foley’s characteristically intelligent Introduction and Meineck’s own crisp annotation and full stage directions, this translation offers the most approachable and in many ways most communicative Oresteia now available. It will be the Oresteia of choice for many teachers and their students, as well as for readers interested in what makes Greek tragedy great theater.”
     —Peter Burian, Duke University

"Meineck’s translation is faithful and supple; the language employed is modern without betraying the grandeur and complexity—particularly the images—of the Aeschylean text. After reading this translation, one has but one further wish: to see it and hear it at Delphi, Epidaurus or Syracuse.”
     —Herman Van Looy, L’Antiquité Classique 

“[Meineck’s] rendering is strong and direct, drawing its energy from his intimate experience of the Oresteia as live drama. Above all Meineck writes with a fine sense of what is speakable in the theatre. This translation deserves to be widely used and Helene Foley’s thoughtful Introduction will help readers who want to know more about the trilogy and its context.”
     —P. E. Easterling, University of Cambridge

“A very significant translation of Aeschylus’ Oresteia. . . . Meineck has succeeded in conveying the meaning of very difficult passages with exceptional clarity. . . . ”
     —Margaret E. Reesor, Queen University

“This is a very fine text, with an excellent introduction and supporting materials, which I find these plays particularly need.”
     —Rev. John W. Howard, S.J. , Boston College

“This is an excellent edition of the Oresteia, one which is both accessible and scholarly. The Introduction is quite useful, and the translation offers a nicely modernized version of the trilogy.”
     —Karen C. Blansfield, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“This is the most teachable translation in print. The language is clear and vigorous, even the difficult choral passages come alive.”
     —Elisabeth Gitter, John Jay College, CUNY

"I've been teaching the Penguin edition with Robert Fagles' translation for 13 years and decided to try this edition. It worked very well, especially for my General Studies class—the language is more direct and clear. It will be my choice for the foreseeable future."
     —Wendy Larson-Harris, Roanoke College

 

About the Author:

Peter Meineck is Associate Professor of Classics at New York University, where he holds the endowed chair in Classics in the Modern World. He is the founder of Aquila Theatre. 

 

To view a complete listing of Hackett ancient Greek tragedies in translation, please click here.