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Electra
Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Under the general editorship of Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro, each volume includes a critical introduction, commentary on the text, full stage directions, and a glossary of the mythical and geographical references in the plays.
This vital translation of Euripides' Electra recreates the prize-winning excitement of the original play. Electra, obsessed by dreams of avenging her father's murder, impatiently awaits the return of her exiled brother Orestes. When he arrives, the play mounts toward its first climax, a tender recognition scene. From that moment on, Electra uses Orestes as her instrument of vengeance. They kill their mother's husband, then their mother herself--and only afterward see the evil inherent in these seemingly just acts. But in his usual fashion, Euripides has imbued myth with the reality of human experience, counterposing suspense and horror with comic realism and down-to-earth comments on life.
This vital translation of Euripides' Electra recreates the prize-winning excitement of the original play. Electra, obsessed by dreams of avenging her father's murder, impatiently awaits the return of her exiled brother Orestes. When he arrives, the play mounts toward its first climax, a tender recognition scene. From that moment on, Electra uses Orestes as her instrument of vengeance. They kill their mother's husband, then their mother herself--and only afterward see the evil inherent in these seemingly just acts. But in his usual fashion, Euripides has imbued myth with the reality of human experience, counterposing suspense and horror with comic realism and down-to-earth comments on life.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 421
About the author
Euripides
2,647 books1,763 followersEuripides (Greek: Ευριπίδης) (ca. 480 BC–406 BC) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him, but the Suda says it was ninety-two at most. Of these, eighteen or nineteen have survived more or less complete (Rhesus is suspect). There are many fragments (some substantial) of most of his other plays. More of his plays have survived intact than those of Aeschylus and Sophocles together, partly because his popularity grew as theirs declined—he became, in the Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone of ancient literary education, along with Homer, Demosthenes, and Menander.
Euripides is identified with theatrical innovations that have profoundly influenced drama down to modern times, especially in the representation of traditional, mythical heroes as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This new approach led him to pioneer developments that later writers adapted to comedy, some of which are characteristic of romance. He also became "the most tragic of poets", focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown. He was "the creator of ... that cage which is the theatre of William Shakespeare's Othello, Jean Racine's Phèdre, of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg," in which "imprisoned men and women destroy each other by the intensity of their loves and hates". But he was also the literary ancestor of comic dramatists as diverse as Menander and George Bernard Shaw.
His contemporaries associated him with Socrates as a leader of a decadent intellectualism. Both were frequently lampooned by comic poets such as Aristophanes. Socrates was eventually put on trial and executed as a corrupting influence. Ancient biographies hold that Euripides chose a voluntary exile in old age, dying in Macedonia, but recent scholarship casts doubt on these sources.
Euripides is identified with theatrical innovations that have profoundly influenced drama down to modern times, especially in the representation of traditional, mythical heroes as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This new approach led him to pioneer developments that later writers adapted to comedy, some of which are characteristic of romance. He also became "the most tragic of poets", focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown. He was "the creator of ... that cage which is the theatre of William Shakespeare's Othello, Jean Racine's Phèdre, of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg," in which "imprisoned men and women destroy each other by the intensity of their loves and hates". But he was also the literary ancestor of comic dramatists as diverse as Menander and George Bernard Shaw.
His contemporaries associated him with Socrates as a leader of a decadent intellectualism. Both were frequently lampooned by comic poets such as Aristophanes. Socrates was eventually put on trial and executed as a corrupting influence. Ancient biographies hold that Euripides chose a voluntary exile in old age, dying in Macedonia, but recent scholarship casts doubt on these sources.
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July 31, 2024
My review of this book disappeared so I am reposting it!
The three great Greek tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, dramatized Electra and Orestes' quest for revenge for their father's murder by their mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegtheis. While Aeschylus and Sophocles see this dual revenge killing as troubling yet ultimately justified, Euripides questions if matricide is warranted. He contrasts Electra's certainty with Orestes' ambiguity. Consequently, I found it the most interesting of the three plays.
This version of Euripides' Electra is part of a series that pairs a poet with a classical scholar. The exquisite translation, with fine-tuned writing, flowed throughout, making the play a joy to read.
I read all three versions back to back as part of a course on Greek tragedy. I enjoyed the sequential reading and recommend the play to anyone interested in Theater, the Classical World, or both.
The three great Greek tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, dramatized Electra and Orestes' quest for revenge for their father's murder by their mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegtheis. While Aeschylus and Sophocles see this dual revenge killing as troubling yet ultimately justified, Euripides questions if matricide is warranted. He contrasts Electra's certainty with Orestes' ambiguity. Consequently, I found it the most interesting of the three plays.
This version of Euripides' Electra is part of a series that pairs a poet with a classical scholar. The exquisite translation, with fine-tuned writing, flowed throughout, making the play a joy to read.
I read all three versions back to back as part of a course on Greek tragedy. I enjoyed the sequential reading and recommend the play to anyone interested in Theater, the Classical World, or both.
February 10, 2015
Euripides' take on the vengeance of Orestes
9 March 2012
I clearly remember reading this play for university and one of the things that the lecturer spoke about was how we have, from all three of the surviving tragedians, a extant plays that deals with the same subject, being the murder of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra by the two of her children, Orestes and Electra. I believe that we actually looked at all three at university, if only to compare the similarities, and differences, in how the three tragedians dealt with the same subject. In fact, it is very fortuitous that we actually have these plays because it gives us a deeper insight into how the same even was viewed by differing contemporary authors.
The sympathy that Euripides shows towards women that was noticeable in Medea and Hecabe seems to be somewhat absent from this play. In fact there are indications in this play of the role that women generally played in Greece with no real criticism of their status. In a way one can empathise with Electra in that she is being persecuted by her mother's lover in that he fears retribution for his part in the death of Agamemnon, her father, but also we admire the peasant whom Electra has been married to in that he has chosen not to sleep with her in that he sees this as a marriage of convenience rather than of love. In a way, he recognises Electra's high status, her being a member of the nobility, while he, a peasant, has no right to such a noble wife.
The major theme of this play is the conflict between the virtue of vengeance, and the crime of matricide. All three of the plays weigh heavily on the crime of matricide and it is clear that such a murder would have been repugnant to the ancient Greeks. However, this is balanced out with the fact that it was Orestes' duty to seek vengeance against his father's murderers. It is a case of justice needing to be done, and it is the duty of the son to see that this happens. While it is seen that it is right to kill Aegisthus there is a conflict when it comes to Clyteamnestra. Orestes is hesitant as he is aware of the crime, however Electra is blinded by hatred and vengeance, not only for the murder of her father, but also for the life that she now lives. She is not the one doing the deed, it is Orestes, therefore she does not care.
We notice that at the end, the Discouri appear (that being Castor and Polydeuces, the heavenly twins, who are sons of Zeus and the brothers of Helen and Clytaemnestra) and condemn Orestes for his crimes. However, as is true with much Greek drama, his future is foretold to him, and it is decreed that initially he will be pursued by the furies (demonic creatures that torment the wicked) to Athens were he will seek shelter in the Temple of Athena and then be brought to trial on the Rock of Ares. It is also decreed that his trial will set a precedent in which if all votes are equal in a murder trial, then the accused will be acquitted.
It is interesting how this time as I read the play I could almost picture some of the places that were mentioned. The action is set not in Argos but on a farm just outside the city. The ancient city really does not exist any more, but if you travel to modern Argos you can still see the remains of the Roman city, including the theatre, the bath house, and the agora. I could also picture the rock of Ares in Athens, which functioned as the high court in ancient times. I can also picture the Athenians being familiar with what Euripides is saying, and many of them would probably cast their eyes around to the rock, and be reminded of the principles of justice upon which Solon based his constitution.
However we can also see different ideas about virtue in this play. To an ancient Greek, vengeance for the murder of one's father is not seen as a crime, and it is not necessarily the responsibility of the authorities (as it is these days). Rather, all prosecutions were private (unless it was treason, and even then that would be dealt with by a vote by all citizens). Another interesting thing about justice in Athens is that if somebody brings a charge against another person, and the person is found to be innocent, then the person bringing the charges is himself fined heavily. Not necessarily for a crime, but rather to discourage vexatious litigation (not that it actually stopped it).
One final thing I noticed was that right at the end the Discouri make a statement about leaving to watch over an expedition to Sicily. This comment actually gives us a very good idea of when the play was written and first performed, namely shortly before the launching of the Sicilian Expedition. Now, I am unsure if in those days the plays would have been performed more than once, but it appears that there is some hint in regards to this fateful expedition. While this play was being performed and produced though, the Peloponesian War was in full swing.
We also see Euripides' take on the Trojan War in this play, though his ideas regarding Helen are explored more deeply in the play of the same title. This is a belief, not necessarily created by Euripides but I will refer to it as Euripidean, that Helen never went to Troy, but was taken to Egypt instead. As such, the Greeks were chasing a phantom, and it did not become noticeable until after the war had been won. I am really unsure why they would take this idea as it was not necessarily needed for the Greeks to sympathise with the Trojans. In any case they were barbarians, but then maybe Euripides was commenting not only on the futility of war, but also how much destruction can come about from misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions.
9 March 2012
I clearly remember reading this play for university and one of the things that the lecturer spoke about was how we have, from all three of the surviving tragedians, a extant plays that deals with the same subject, being the murder of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra by the two of her children, Orestes and Electra. I believe that we actually looked at all three at university, if only to compare the similarities, and differences, in how the three tragedians dealt with the same subject. In fact, it is very fortuitous that we actually have these plays because it gives us a deeper insight into how the same even was viewed by differing contemporary authors.
The sympathy that Euripides shows towards women that was noticeable in Medea and Hecabe seems to be somewhat absent from this play. In fact there are indications in this play of the role that women generally played in Greece with no real criticism of their status. In a way one can empathise with Electra in that she is being persecuted by her mother's lover in that he fears retribution for his part in the death of Agamemnon, her father, but also we admire the peasant whom Electra has been married to in that he has chosen not to sleep with her in that he sees this as a marriage of convenience rather than of love. In a way, he recognises Electra's high status, her being a member of the nobility, while he, a peasant, has no right to such a noble wife.
The major theme of this play is the conflict between the virtue of vengeance, and the crime of matricide. All three of the plays weigh heavily on the crime of matricide and it is clear that such a murder would have been repugnant to the ancient Greeks. However, this is balanced out with the fact that it was Orestes' duty to seek vengeance against his father's murderers. It is a case of justice needing to be done, and it is the duty of the son to see that this happens. While it is seen that it is right to kill Aegisthus there is a conflict when it comes to Clyteamnestra. Orestes is hesitant as he is aware of the crime, however Electra is blinded by hatred and vengeance, not only for the murder of her father, but also for the life that she now lives. She is not the one doing the deed, it is Orestes, therefore she does not care.
We notice that at the end, the Discouri appear (that being Castor and Polydeuces, the heavenly twins, who are sons of Zeus and the brothers of Helen and Clytaemnestra) and condemn Orestes for his crimes. However, as is true with much Greek drama, his future is foretold to him, and it is decreed that initially he will be pursued by the furies (demonic creatures that torment the wicked) to Athens were he will seek shelter in the Temple of Athena and then be brought to trial on the Rock of Ares. It is also decreed that his trial will set a precedent in which if all votes are equal in a murder trial, then the accused will be acquitted.
It is interesting how this time as I read the play I could almost picture some of the places that were mentioned. The action is set not in Argos but on a farm just outside the city. The ancient city really does not exist any more, but if you travel to modern Argos you can still see the remains of the Roman city, including the theatre, the bath house, and the agora. I could also picture the rock of Ares in Athens, which functioned as the high court in ancient times. I can also picture the Athenians being familiar with what Euripides is saying, and many of them would probably cast their eyes around to the rock, and be reminded of the principles of justice upon which Solon based his constitution.
However we can also see different ideas about virtue in this play. To an ancient Greek, vengeance for the murder of one's father is not seen as a crime, and it is not necessarily the responsibility of the authorities (as it is these days). Rather, all prosecutions were private (unless it was treason, and even then that would be dealt with by a vote by all citizens). Another interesting thing about justice in Athens is that if somebody brings a charge against another person, and the person is found to be innocent, then the person bringing the charges is himself fined heavily. Not necessarily for a crime, but rather to discourage vexatious litigation (not that it actually stopped it).
One final thing I noticed was that right at the end the Discouri make a statement about leaving to watch over an expedition to Sicily. This comment actually gives us a very good idea of when the play was written and first performed, namely shortly before the launching of the Sicilian Expedition. Now, I am unsure if in those days the plays would have been performed more than once, but it appears that there is some hint in regards to this fateful expedition. While this play was being performed and produced though, the Peloponesian War was in full swing.
We also see Euripides' take on the Trojan War in this play, though his ideas regarding Helen are explored more deeply in the play of the same title. This is a belief, not necessarily created by Euripides but I will refer to it as Euripidean, that Helen never went to Troy, but was taken to Egypt instead. As such, the Greeks were chasing a phantom, and it did not become noticeable until after the war had been won. I am really unsure why they would take this idea as it was not necessarily needed for the Greeks to sympathise with the Trojans. In any case they were barbarians, but then maybe Euripides was commenting not only on the futility of war, but also how much destruction can come about from misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions.
October 7, 2019
خوبی ماجرا اینه که فیلم Troy رو چهل بار دیدم
یعنی میدونستم آگاممنون میره تروا دنبال هلن که ربوده شده و پیروز برمیگرده
چیزی که نمیدونستم اینه که وقتی برمیگرده همسرش و فاسق همسرش میکشنش !!
چیز دیگهای که نمیدونستم اینه که دختری داره به اسم الکترا (به غیر از اون دختری که قربانیش میکنه) و پسری به اسم اورستس
ماجرای این نمایش راجع به الکترا و برادرش بعد از کشته شدن پدرشون هست
من کلا عاشق این نمایشنامههای یونان باستان شدم
نمیدونم شاید برای بقیه انقدر جذاب نباشه
ولی من خیلی از خوندن راجع به این آدمای باستانی و باورهاشون و خداهاشون لذت میبرم
دلم یه کتاب میخواد با کل این اسطورهها آشنا بشم
خیلی جالبن
راستی الکترا رو به غیر از اوریپید گویا سوفوکل هم اقتباسی ازش نوشته
خوندن اون هم باید جذاب باشه چون گویا در جزئیات با این نسخه متفاوته
یعنی میدونستم آگاممنون میره تروا دنبال هلن که ربوده شده و پیروز برمیگرده
چیزی که نمیدونستم اینه که وقتی برمیگرده همسرش و فاسق همسرش میکشنش !!
چیز دیگهای که نمیدونستم اینه که دختری داره به اسم الکترا (به غیر از اون دختری که قربانیش میکنه) و پسری به اسم اورستس
ماجرای این نمایش راجع به الکترا و برادرش بعد از کشته شدن پدرشون هست
من کلا عاشق این نمایشنامههای یونان باستان شدم
نمیدونم شاید برای بقیه انقدر جذاب نباشه
ولی من خیلی از خوندن راجع به این آدمای باستانی و باورهاشون و خداهاشون لذت میبرم
دلم یه کتاب میخواد با کل این اسطورهها آشنا بشم
خیلی جالبن
راستی الکترا رو به غیر از اوریپید گویا سوفوکل هم اقتباسی ازش نوشته
خوندن اون هم باید جذاب باشه چون گویا در جزئیات با این نسخه متفاوته
May 1, 2023
کتاب رو در حد معمولی میدونم، نه بد بود نه خوب، معمولی
داستان الکترا اینطوریه که مادرش، پدرش( اگاممنون همونی که جنگ تروا رو شروع کرد) رو میکشه، بعد الکترا برادرش و فراری میده تا نجاتش بده و بعدا با برادرش همرا میشن و انتقام قتل پدرشون و از مادرشون و میگیرن::)))))کلی خیلی داستان پیچیده ای داشته.
اما داستانی که اریپید توی این کتاب دربارش حرف میزنه این نیست داستان از جایی شروع میشه که الکترا با دهقانی ازدواج کرده و داستان دور از قلعه و خاندان هاو ایناست برای همین برام خیلی جذاب نبود.
داستان الکترا اینطوریه که مادرش، پدرش( اگاممنون همونی که جنگ تروا رو شروع کرد) رو میکشه، بعد الکترا برادرش و فراری میده تا نجاتش بده و بعدا با برادرش همرا میشن و انتقام قتل پدرشون و از مادرشون و میگیرن::)))))کلی خیلی داستان پیچیده ای داشته.
اما داستانی که اریپید توی این کتاب دربارش حرف میزنه این نیست داستان از جایی شروع میشه که الکترا با دهقانی ازدواج کرده و داستان دور از قلعه و خاندان هاو ایناست برای همین برام خیلی جذاب نبود.
July 20, 2023
ما پیش از آن که باقی زندگیمان را زندگی کنیم چه مدت باید غصه بخوریم و اندوهگین باشیم؟
May 23, 2016
Η Κλυταιμνύστρα,μιλώντας στην Ηλέκτρα:
"[..]Μα όταν
πέφτει στο σφάλμα ο άντρας,τη δικιά του
παραμερίζοντας γυναίκα,τότε
να τόνε μιμηθεί θέλει κι εκείνη
και να'βρει άλλη αγάπη.Όμως βουίζει
μετά για μας η κατηγόρια,ενώ για κείνους
που ήταν η αφορμή,κακό δε λέει
κανένας.Τον Μενέλαο,τον άντρα
της αδερφής μου,αν κλέβαν,εγώ τότε
για να τον σώσω,θα'πρεπε να σφάξω
τον γιο μου Ορέστη;Πώς θα τ'ανεχόταν
ο πατέρας σου τούτα;Γιατί τάχα
να μην πεθάνει αυτός που τους δικούς μου
αφάνισε,και μόνο εγώ από κείνον
να σκοτωθώ;"
Εξαιρετικό έργο!!Δεν ξέρεις ποιόν να πρωτολυπηθείς,όλοι οι ήρωες τραγικοί.
Απίστευτα νοήματα σχετικά με τον χαρακτήρα του ανθρώπου,την αντίθεση ευγένειας καταγωγής-ευγένειας φύσης,τον πλούτο και τη χρησιμότητά του,την απόδοση δικαιοσύνης,τις τύψεις.
"[..]Μα όταν
πέφτει στο σφάλμα ο άντρας,τη δικιά του
παραμερίζοντας γυναίκα,τότε
να τόνε μιμηθεί θέλει κι εκείνη
και να'βρει άλλη αγάπη.Όμως βουίζει
μετά για μας η κατηγόρια,ενώ για κείνους
που ήταν η αφορμή,κακό δε λέει
κανένας.Τον Μενέλαο,τον άντρα
της αδερφής μου,αν κλέβαν,εγώ τότε
για να τον σώσω,θα'πρεπε να σφάξω
τον γιο μου Ορέστη;Πώς θα τ'ανεχόταν
ο πατέρας σου τούτα;Γιατί τάχα
να μην πεθάνει αυτός που τους δικούς μου
αφάνισε,και μόνο εγώ από κείνον
να σκοτωθώ;"
Εξαιρετικό έργο!!Δεν ξέρεις ποιόν να πρωτολυπηθείς,όλοι οι ήρωες τραγικοί.
Απίστευτα νοήματα σχετικά με τον χαρακτήρα του ανθρώπου,την αντίθεση ευγένειας καταγωγής-ευγένειας φύσης,τον πλούτο και τη χρησιμότητά του,την απόδοση δικαιοσύνης,τις τύψεις.
January 8, 2024
(3.5 stars)
This is my second read of a translation, by Janet Lembke & Kenneth J Reckford. The last time I read this was 5 years ago.
Like the second part of Aeschylus’s Oresteia this also gives an acknowledgement to the legal process as the play wraps up. However, this is not what drives the play.
Another difference between the two versions is that this has that Euripides mark, where the women are more interesting for their depth.
I also like how Euripides’s Electra has been married off to a lowly farmer, strengthening her motive for revenge.
My favourite character is the farmer (in other translations he is named as a peasant). He has a much smaller part but his calmness and sincerity is a really nice balance against the revenge that gets a bit gory.
Electra by Euripides is not something I would read for leisure, it’s not a fun read, and it’s a slow burner. But it is worth reading just to see another dramatic portrait of Electra, or if like me you’re piecing together these myths. If you are then this is a fascinating read.
This is my second read of a translation, by Janet Lembke & Kenneth J Reckford. The last time I read this was 5 years ago.
Like the second part of Aeschylus’s Oresteia this also gives an acknowledgement to the legal process as the play wraps up. However, this is not what drives the play.
Another difference between the two versions is that this has that Euripides mark, where the women are more interesting for their depth.
I also like how Euripides’s Electra has been married off to a lowly farmer, strengthening her motive for revenge.
My favourite character is the farmer (in other translations he is named as a peasant). He has a much smaller part but his calmness and sincerity is a really nice balance against the revenge that gets a bit gory.
Electra by Euripides is not something I would read for leisure, it’s not a fun read, and it’s a slow burner. But it is worth reading just to see another dramatic portrait of Electra, or if like me you’re piecing together these myths. If you are then this is a fascinating read.
December 29, 2023
آدمیان را همان گونه که مییابی داوری کن، پیمانه پاک زادی منش است.
May 10, 2015
You may find a fascinating case study in artistic approach when you compare the Libation Bearers of Aeschylus and the Electra plays of Sophocles and Euripides. The three great Greek tragedians all wrote a play about the same story: Orestes’s and Electra’s revenge on their mother Clytemnestra for the murder of their father Agamemnon. The format and general outline is the same in all three plays; yet the effect is unique to the playwright.
Aeschylus’s play is resonant with mythical symbolism. This is exemplified in the recognition scene between Electra and Orestes: Electra recognizes Orestes from a lock of hair he leaves on Agamemnon’s tomb. It seems unlikely to us that a person would be able to recognize a long-lost relative from a single lock of hair; but leaving hair on a tomb was a ritualistic act, only performed by people close to the deceased—such as a son. Aeschylus’s worldview is also fundamentally irrational. Orestes is duty-bound to punish his mother; yet doing so invokes the punishment of the Furies, who pursue him for his evil deed. Somehow, the killing of Clytemnestra is simultaneously good and evil, honorable and shameful, in the eyes of the gods.
Euripides’s version can be seen as the rational and realistic version of Aeschylus’s play. Euripides invites this reading himself, when he parodies the recognition scene between Electra and Orestes: the suggestion that Electra could recognize her brother from a single strand of hair makes her laugh with contempt. Additionally, in Euripides, as in Aeschylus, the killing of Clytemnestra is morally ambiguous; but this ambiguity results not from the will of the gods, but from the emotional complexity of the characters.
Sophocles’s version differs from both Aeschylus's and Euripides's in matter and form. For one, the particulars of the plot are all different. But the most striking difference is Sophocles’s treatment of morality. In his play, the killing of Clytemnestra is triumphant, glorious. It evokes neither pity from the characters nor the wrath of the gods. It seems that Sophocles had a more clear-cut conception of right and wrong; this, in fact, is what makes his portrayal of Antigone so compelling—she is noble and right, and her enemies are ignoble and wrong.
I really have no conclusion to draw from this discussion, other than the obvious: there isn’t just one way to produce great art.
Aeschylus’s play is resonant with mythical symbolism. This is exemplified in the recognition scene between Electra and Orestes: Electra recognizes Orestes from a lock of hair he leaves on Agamemnon’s tomb. It seems unlikely to us that a person would be able to recognize a long-lost relative from a single lock of hair; but leaving hair on a tomb was a ritualistic act, only performed by people close to the deceased—such as a son. Aeschylus’s worldview is also fundamentally irrational. Orestes is duty-bound to punish his mother; yet doing so invokes the punishment of the Furies, who pursue him for his evil deed. Somehow, the killing of Clytemnestra is simultaneously good and evil, honorable and shameful, in the eyes of the gods.
Euripides’s version can be seen as the rational and realistic version of Aeschylus’s play. Euripides invites this reading himself, when he parodies the recognition scene between Electra and Orestes: the suggestion that Electra could recognize her brother from a single strand of hair makes her laugh with contempt. Additionally, in Euripides, as in Aeschylus, the killing of Clytemnestra is morally ambiguous; but this ambiguity results not from the will of the gods, but from the emotional complexity of the characters.
Sophocles’s version differs from both Aeschylus's and Euripides's in matter and form. For one, the particulars of the plot are all different. But the most striking difference is Sophocles’s treatment of morality. In his play, the killing of Clytemnestra is triumphant, glorious. It evokes neither pity from the characters nor the wrath of the gods. It seems that Sophocles had a more clear-cut conception of right and wrong; this, in fact, is what makes his portrayal of Antigone so compelling—she is noble and right, and her enemies are ignoble and wrong.
I really have no conclusion to draw from this discussion, other than the obvious: there isn’t just one way to produce great art.
February 20, 2021
پلیدی در برابر پلیدی!؟
"آیا تنگدستی اندازهای بهتر است؟ نه!
.
.
.
تنگدستی وبینوایی به آدمی می آموزد از سر نیاز
پلید وبدکار باشد."
"آیا تنگدستی اندازهای بهتر است؟ نه!
.
.
.
تنگدستی وبینوایی به آدمی می آموزد از سر نیاز
پلید وبدکار باشد."
February 21, 2021
الکترا نام یکی از اساطیر یونانیان است که توسط هر ۳ تراژدینویسِ بزرگ یونان یعنی سوفوکلس٬ آیسخولوس و اوریپید نمایشنامهای برای آن نوشته شده که هر یک از این سه نفر٬ شخصیت الکترا را بنابر فهم و افکار خود نقل نمودهاند که ما در این کتاب تراژدی را از قلمِ اوریپید میخوانیم.
در ابتدا عرض میکنم که این تراژدی توسط آقای غلامرضا شهبازی ترجمه و توسط نشر بیدگل چاپ و منتشر گردیده است٬ ترجمهی نمایشنامه روان و خوانش آن ساده و لذت بخش است.
در مورد افسانه به جهت اینکه حاوی مطالبیست که مفاهیم آن را اسپویل میکند آن را مخفی کردهام تا موجبِ رنگشِ خاطر عمومِ عزیزان نگردد و اگر دوستی تمایل به خواندنِ آن داشت اقدام کند.
طبق تحقیقی که انجام دادهام و متنی که مترجم در انتهای کتاب بیان نموده٬ اوریپید نمایشنامهی دیگری اینبار به نام اورستس نیز نوشته است که افسانه را پس از قتل مادر تا زمان دادگاهِ مجازاتِ او نقل میکند که متاسفانه من نسخه ترجمه شدهای از آن نیافتم.
در آخر باید عرض کنم که ما تراژدیها را میخوانیم تا از آنها لذت ببریم٬ اینکه این نمایشنامه ۴۱۷ سال قبل از میلاد مسیح به روی صحنه رفته طبیعیست که طرز فکر ما به نسبت طرز فکر مردمان یونانِ باستان در آن زمان بسیار متفاوته و من به شخصه بنای قضاوت شخصیتها در تراژدیها را ندارم صرفا آنها را میخوانم تا با خلقیات مردمان آن دوران آشنا و از این افسانههای جذاب لذت ببرم. در مورد امتیاز نیز عرض کنم که من همیشه نمرههای خودم را به نسبت موارد مشابه مقایسه و منظور میکنم برای مثال وقتی افسانههای تبای از سوفولکس را خارقالعاده خواندم و ۵ستاره دادم این کتاب در سطحی نبود که به ۵ستاره فکر کنم٬ ضمنا یک ستارهی دیگر نیز از آن کم کردم چون در اکثر اوقات نویسنده از بیان جزئیات فرار و به کلی گویی قناعت کرده بود٬ به همین منظور ۳ستاره برای این تراژدی دوست داشتنی در نظر گرفتم.
در ابتدا عرض میکنم که این تراژدی توسط آقای غلامرضا شهبازی ترجمه و توسط نشر بیدگل چاپ و منتشر گردیده است٬ ترجمهی نمایشنامه روان و خوانش آن ساده و لذت بخش است.
در مورد افسانه به جهت اینکه حاوی مطالبیست که مفاهیم آن را اسپویل میکند آن را مخفی کردهام تا موجبِ رنگشِ خاطر عمومِ عزیزان نگردد و اگر دوستی تمایل به خواندنِ آن داشت اقدام کند.
طبق تحقیقی که انجام دادهام و متنی که مترجم در انتهای کتاب بیان نموده٬ اوریپید نمایشنامهی دیگری اینبار به نام اورستس نیز نوشته است که افسانه را پس از قتل مادر تا زمان دادگاهِ مجازاتِ او نقل میکند که متاسفانه من نسخه ترجمه شدهای از آن نیافتم.
در آخر باید عرض کنم که ما تراژدیها را میخوانیم تا از آنها لذت ببریم٬ اینکه این نمایشنامه ۴۱۷ سال قبل از میلاد مسیح به روی صحنه رفته طبیعیست که طرز فکر ما به نسبت طرز فکر مردمان یونانِ باستان در آن زمان بسیار متفاوته و من به شخصه بنای قضاوت شخصیتها در تراژدیها را ندارم صرفا آنها را میخوانم تا با خلقیات مردمان آن دوران آشنا و از این افسانههای جذاب لذت ببرم. در مورد امتیاز نیز عرض کنم که من همیشه نمرههای خودم را به نسبت موارد مشابه مقایسه و منظور میکنم برای مثال وقتی افسانههای تبای از سوفولکس را خارقالعاده خواندم و ۵ستاره دادم این کتاب در سطحی نبود که به ۵ستاره فکر کنم٬ ضمنا یک ستارهی دیگر نیز از آن کم کردم چون در اکثر اوقات نویسنده از بیان جزئیات فرار و به کلی گویی قناعت کرده بود٬ به همین منظور ۳ستاره برای این تراژدی دوست داشتنی در نظر گرفتم.
December 1, 2020
حالا سوای بحث اصلی الکترا، یکم فرعیتر بخوام بنویسم.. مترجم نوشته بود که این نمایشنامه در سطح روانشناسانه نشان میدهد که ما میتوانیم خود را در سوگواریمان غرق کنیم و خود را به زندگی ماننده به مرگ با چسبیدن به گذشته محکوم نماییم.
و خب اینو واقعا خوب نشون میده و واقعا چرا آدمی باید غرق در غم گذشته بمونه و مرگوار زنده بمونه؟ بده بره.
[🎵 بده بره ]
و خب اینو واقعا خوب نشون میده و واقعا چرا آدمی باید غرق در غم گذشته بمونه و مرگوار زنده بمونه؟ بده بره.
[🎵 بده بره ]
January 8, 2022
اولین دشت 2022
April 17, 2019
Páris rapta Helena, a mulher de Menelau, que é irmão de Agamémnon, o qual sacrifica a filha, Ifigénia, à deusa Ártemis para que esta acalme os ventos e os barcos possam partir para Tróia. No regresso de Agamémnon a casa, Clitemnestra vinga a filha, Ifigénia, matando o marido. Electra e Orestes, irmãos da sacrificada, vingam a morte do pai matando a mãe. Toda esta matança é por culpa de Helena que, segundo Eurípides, nunca esteve em Tróia mas sim no Egipto.
Adoro ler estas peças. Parece ser tudo igual mas há sempre algo diferente. Não gosto é muito da Electra pelo pouco apreço que ela tem pelas outras mulheres.
Adoro ler estas peças. Parece ser tudo igual mas há sempre algo diferente. Não gosto é muito da Electra pelo pouco apreço que ela tem pelas outras mulheres.
June 28, 2020
orestes: hey maybe we’re going a bit overboard ://
electra: what did you just say? that you’re a pussy?
electra: what did you just say? that you’re a pussy?
November 6, 2020
Nu m-a încântat așa de mult.
"BĂTRÎNUL: Copilul meu, norocul ți-e potrivnic: tu n-ai nici un prieten. E rar prilejul de-a găsi pe cineva care să-mpartă nu doar binele cu noi, ci, la nevoie, răul."
"ELEKTRA: Acestea toate sînt nimic, nu-s ale noastre decît pentru scurtă vreme. Doar caracterul este trainic, bogăția nu. Doar caracterul pururi dăinuie și biruie nenorocirile. Belșugul, dacă e nedrept și-n mîinile unor mișei, își ia din case zborul; numai cîteva clipe strălucește."
"BĂTRÎNUL: Copilul meu, norocul ți-e potrivnic: tu n-ai nici un prieten. E rar prilejul de-a găsi pe cineva care să-mpartă nu doar binele cu noi, ci, la nevoie, răul."
"ELEKTRA: Acestea toate sînt nimic, nu-s ale noastre decît pentru scurtă vreme. Doar caracterul este trainic, bogăția nu. Doar caracterul pururi dăinuie și biruie nenorocirile. Belșugul, dacă e nedrept și-n mîinile unor mișei, își ia din case zborul; numai cîteva clipe strălucește."
November 11, 2022
feminism loss but i do love when women get to kill
not sure how to review this one despite having written an essay about it. how about: i am still an original oresteia stan through and through, but i love what euripides does with electra's character here. like sophocles, he lets her rage; unlike sophocles, he lets her take decisive action in her mother's murder, to a degree that is actually kind of horrifying (goading the brother she hasn't seen in years into murder by questioning his manhood? that's fucking cold). this entire play is pretty cold--euripides comes at the myth with a cynicism that blows away the other playwrights who have touched electra's story. this orestes and electra are a far cry from the pious grieving children of Libation Bearers--orestes kills aegisthus during a sacrifice, for fuck's sake--and the digs at aeschylus's scenes aren't subtle. that said, these characterizations are still deeply compelling: in their grief, in orestes' waver, in electra's fury, they ring as real people. and despite the pessimism of this play, it's powerful as hell.
also GOD i love clytemnestra in this play. i love how much depth and sympathy euripides gives her; i love that she's given nuance before she even comes on stage (described in one line as savage but protective of her daughter); i love that she's able to defend and represent herself in a speech that could be the precursor to emilia's speech in othello. electra says a lot of deeply misogynistic things in this play, and both she and her mother are punished for transgressing their social roles (this was the topic of my essay and the reason my original review was just the first line of this one). but euripides almost disproves his own misogyny by painting each of these women as a real, multilayered, morally gray person. clytemnestra's defense of her actions makes sense; so does electra's deeply wounded rage. and god, i love the moment of horror electra and orestes have after the murder. nobody's winning here, and nobody's right.
also also. i know i just said i love clytemnestra and i do but ELECTRA GETTING TO PHYSICALLY HELP ORESTES KILL THEIR MOTHER. WITH HER HAND ON THE SWORD. I LOVE WHEN WOMEN DO WRONGS!!!
translations read: paul roche, emily wilson
--> the latter translation is kind of unintentionally hysterical. i'm sorry. i know it comes out of a book where the goal is to translate as closely to verbatim as possible, so it can be used as a greek learning text, but tell me how i'm supposed to not laugh at "I will arrange the murder of my mother." // "That's great!"
notable lines:
"He hopes, but helplessly; an exile's weak." (Wilson, line 352)
"ELECTRA: Let me die, so long as I kill my mother." (Roche)
"OLD MAN: She'll come right to your door, right to your house.
ELECTRA: From here, it's just a little step to Hades." (Wilson, lines 661-2)
"ORESTES: I am only the pawn of fate and heaven." (Roche) (ouch, talk about an orestes theme)
"ELECTRA: Look, I'll put the cloth around her, // our unkind kin, the enemy we loved." (Wilson, 1230-1)
and, of course, the thesis:
"A single ancestral curse has ruined you both." (Roche)
🎵Seventeen—MARINA🎵
not sure how to review this one despite having written an essay about it. how about: i am still an original oresteia stan through and through, but i love what euripides does with electra's character here. like sophocles, he lets her rage; unlike sophocles, he lets her take decisive action in her mother's murder, to a degree that is actually kind of horrifying (goading the brother she hasn't seen in years into murder by questioning his manhood? that's fucking cold). this entire play is pretty cold--euripides comes at the myth with a cynicism that blows away the other playwrights who have touched electra's story. this orestes and electra are a far cry from the pious grieving children of Libation Bearers--orestes kills aegisthus during a sacrifice, for fuck's sake--and the digs at aeschylus's scenes aren't subtle. that said, these characterizations are still deeply compelling: in their grief, in orestes' waver, in electra's fury, they ring as real people. and despite the pessimism of this play, it's powerful as hell.
also GOD i love clytemnestra in this play. i love how much depth and sympathy euripides gives her; i love that she's given nuance before she even comes on stage (described in one line as savage but protective of her daughter); i love that she's able to defend and represent herself in a speech that could be the precursor to emilia's speech in othello. electra says a lot of deeply misogynistic things in this play, and both she and her mother are punished for transgressing their social roles (this was the topic of my essay and the reason my original review was just the first line of this one). but euripides almost disproves his own misogyny by painting each of these women as a real, multilayered, morally gray person. clytemnestra's defense of her actions makes sense; so does electra's deeply wounded rage. and god, i love the moment of horror electra and orestes have after the murder. nobody's winning here, and nobody's right.
also also. i know i just said i love clytemnestra and i do but ELECTRA GETTING TO PHYSICALLY HELP ORESTES KILL THEIR MOTHER. WITH HER HAND ON THE SWORD. I LOVE WHEN WOMEN DO WRONGS!!!
translations read: paul roche, emily wilson
--> the latter translation is kind of unintentionally hysterical. i'm sorry. i know it comes out of a book where the goal is to translate as closely to verbatim as possible, so it can be used as a greek learning text, but tell me how i'm supposed to not laugh at "I will arrange the murder of my mother." // "That's great!"
notable lines:
"He hopes, but helplessly; an exile's weak." (Wilson, line 352)
"ELECTRA: Let me die, so long as I kill my mother." (Roche)
"OLD MAN: She'll come right to your door, right to your house.
ELECTRA: From here, it's just a little step to Hades." (Wilson, lines 661-2)
"ORESTES: I am only the pawn of fate and heaven." (Roche) (ouch, talk about an orestes theme)
"ELECTRA: Look, I'll put the cloth around her, // our unkind kin, the enemy we loved." (Wilson, 1230-1)
and, of course, the thesis:
"A single ancestral curse has ruined you both." (Roche)
🎵Seventeen—MARINA🎵
December 12, 2019
I remember liking this one a lot, much more than the Electra of Sophocles, back when I first read it maybe five or six years ago. I thought it had cooler lyrics, and a better atmosphere.
That impression holds up re-reading it now, although side by side with his Orestes it seems the tamer work. I do like the choice of the county cabin as the setting (picture a charred, smoky sky lighting up the pastures) and the lyrics hold up. I think too much is made of Electra's supposed hysteria (critics are always trying to show Euripides for his mysoginy but I think they get it way wrong).
It was written in 420, while Orestes was in 408, four years before the Pelopponesian War would end. It seems that by 408 Euripides was much more disillusioned than before, as none of the reconciliation here finds its way into the latter play.
Fav quote:
"Phoebus, you hymed the law in black melody / but the deed has shone white as a scar."
That impression holds up re-reading it now, although side by side with his Orestes it seems the tamer work. I do like the choice of the county cabin as the setting (picture a charred, smoky sky lighting up the pastures) and the lyrics hold up. I think too much is made of Electra's supposed hysteria (critics are always trying to show Euripides for his mysoginy but I think they get it way wrong).
It was written in 420, while Orestes was in 408, four years before the Pelopponesian War would end. It seems that by 408 Euripides was much more disillusioned than before, as none of the reconciliation here finds its way into the latter play.
Fav quote:
"Phoebus, you hymed the law in black melody / but the deed has shone white as a scar."
July 6, 2019
یه نمایشنامهی دیگه از دوران طلایی یونان باستان... به نظرم به پای ادیپ شهریار نمیرسید (البته من ارادت زیادی به سوفوکل دارم) اما نمایشنامهای پر مغز و فوقالعاده بود که مثل آنتیگونه به مسائل خانواده و محبت و خشم در خانواده میپرداخت اینکه وقتی دوست دشمن باشه واقعاً آدم چه واکنشی باید نشون بده؟ به پاس دوستیها بگذره یا جزای دشمنی رو بپردازه؟ جز علاقمندیهام خواهد بود.
July 20, 2015
damn, electra had some deeply ingrained internalised misogyny going on.
August 25, 2018
Electra de Eurípides es una telenovela de Cris Morena escrita por Dani Umpi cuya multinacional de medios y entretenimientos Walt Disney adquirió los derechos para una futura versión cinematográfica protagonizada por Emma Watson en el papel de la muchacha que da nombre a la obra.
September 3, 2024
اگه مثل من تاحالا توی زندگیتون چیزی از اسطوره های یونانی نشنیدین بنظرم کتابو بذارین کنار و یه ذره سرچ کنید بعد بخونید وگرنه هیچی نمیفهمید.
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February 19, 2021Mitos Yayınları'nın kitap girişine koyduğu katı uyarı nedeniyle alıntısız başlıyorum yorumuma...
Elektra'nın hikayesi ile tanışmam 2012 yılında Konya İl Halk Kütüphanesi'nin hiç unutmuyorum duvara yaslı taraftaki Antik Yunan tiyatroları'nın yer aldığı rafta bulduğum MEB klasiklerinden çıkan baskı ile oldu. Pek tabii, ben de herkes gibi psikolojide ismen atıflanan Elektra kompleksi ile çok az fikir sahibi idim ancak hikaye beni çarpmıştı. Euripides'in de aynı isimde bir tiyatrosunun olduğunu biliyordum ancak okumak 9 yıl sonraya fırsat oldu. Toplamda 3 farklı versiyonu olan bu hikayenin (Üçüncüsü Aiskhylos'a ait) Euripides versiyonu nedense bende Sophokles versiyonu kadar güzel bir etki bırakmadı.
Sanırım bunda, kadına ve erkeğe yönelik Euripides'in alışageldiğim sert ifadeleri bir etken. Toplumsal cinsiyet okumaları yapan kişilerin gözüne hemen batacak bu ifadelerin dönemin koşulları altında değerlendirilmesi gerektiğinde ben de hemfikirim. Ancak yine de okuma keyfimi etkiledi mi? Evet etkiledi. Bir de, fakirlik ile ilgili tespitleri var ki Euripides'in akıllara zarar. Elektra'nın kocası gariban adamın isminin bile olmaması, fakirliği ile karikatürize edilmiş bu adamcağızın yazarına direnir bir biçimde inadına iyilik timsali olması... Hepsi daha ileri tartışmalara gebe.
Bu hikayenin en kafa karıştırıcı boyutu, karakterlerin kaderleri ile boğuşmaları zannımca. Kader kavramını felsefi olarak tartışmaya açmış -belki de istemeden- Euripides. Zira
Euripides, belki de mutlak iyinin veya mutlak kötünün olmadığını, iyinin ve kötünün bakış açısına göre değişebildiğini anlatmak istemiş... Bilmiyorum. Açıkçası Sophokles'te bu nasıldı çok zaman geçtiğinden pek hatırlayamıyorum ama yine de okunmalı mı? Muhakkak okunmalı.
M. Baran
20.02.2021
Saati 02:50 etmişiz ya!
Ankara
Elektra'nın hikayesi ile tanışmam 2012 yılında Konya İl Halk Kütüphanesi'nin hiç unutmuyorum duvara yaslı taraftaki Antik Yunan tiyatroları'nın yer aldığı rafta bulduğum MEB klasiklerinden çıkan baskı ile oldu. Pek tabii, ben de herkes gibi psikolojide ismen atıflanan Elektra kompleksi ile çok az fikir sahibi idim ancak hikaye beni çarpmıştı. Euripides'in de aynı isimde bir tiyatrosunun olduğunu biliyordum ancak okumak 9 yıl sonraya fırsat oldu. Toplamda 3 farklı versiyonu olan bu hikayenin (Üçüncüsü Aiskhylos'a ait) Euripides versiyonu nedense bende Sophokles versiyonu kadar güzel bir etki bırakmadı.
Sanırım bunda, kadına ve erkeğe yönelik Euripides'in alışageldiğim sert ifadeleri bir etken. Toplumsal cinsiyet okumaları yapan kişilerin gözüne hemen batacak bu ifadelerin dönemin koşulları altında değerlendirilmesi gerektiğinde ben de hemfikirim. Ancak yine de okuma keyfimi etkiledi mi? Evet etkiledi. Bir de, fakirlik ile ilgili tespitleri var ki Euripides'in akıllara zarar. Elektra'nın kocası gariban adamın isminin bile olmaması, fakirliği ile karikatürize edilmiş bu adamcağızın yazarına direnir bir biçimde inadına iyilik timsali olması... Hepsi daha ileri tartışmalara gebe.
Bu hikayenin en kafa karıştırıcı boyutu, karakterlerin kaderleri ile boğuşmaları zannımca. Kader kavramını felsefi olarak tartışmaya açmış -belki de istemeden- Euripides. Zira
Euripides, belki de mutlak iyinin veya mutlak kötünün olmadığını, iyinin ve kötünün bakış açısına göre değişebildiğini anlatmak istemiş... Bilmiyorum. Açıkçası Sophokles'te bu nasıldı çok zaman geçtiğinden pek hatırlayamıyorum ama yine de okunmalı mı? Muhakkak okunmalı.
M. Baran
20.02.2021
Saati 02:50 etmişiz ya!
Ankara
April 6, 2017
Euripid je u odnosu na Sofokla i Eshila jedna velika velika DEUS EX MACHINA! :D
August 20, 2021
الکترای اوریپید اولین تجربهی خوانش اسطورهها از تراژدی نویسان یونان بود. متاسفانه قبل از این مستقیما هیچ کدوم از متون رو نخونده بودم و مواجهها�� با اسطورهها از بازنویسیهای جدیدتری مثل مگسها یا زنان تراوای سارتر بود.
متن بسیار کوتاه و بسیار سادهاست و توی کمتر از نیم ساعت خوانده میشه. من ترجمه آقای شهبازی رو خوندم اما متوجه شدم که ترجمهای از کوثری هم وجود داره و اون بهتره. این نمایشنامه اونقدر برام جذابیت داشت که بلافاصله متن آقا کوثری رو پیدا کنم و بخونم.
قبل از شروع، خوب هست که آشنایی مقدماتی با بکگراند ماجرا، اسطورهها و روابطشون داشته باشیم (حتی در حد دیدن فیلم تروی!) که متوجه شیم روابط خانوادگی چطور پیش میره.
درونمایهی اصلی نمایشنامه، "انتقام" و احساسات و قضاوتهای خانودگی است.
آگاممنون در جریان شروع جنگ تراوا، دختر کلوتایمنسترا، ایفیگنیا رو به پیشگاه آتنا قربانی میکنه. کلوتایمنسترا با کینهای که از آگاممنون به دل میگیره، همراه با معشوقهاش همسرش رو میکشه و در ادامه پسرش، اورستس رو از ترس انتقام به جای دیگهای میفرسته و دخترش الکترا رو به همسری دهقانی درمیاره.
داستان حول انتقام الکترا و اورستس از مادر و همسر مادرشون میگذره.
نکات قابل توجه داستان برای من این بود که بار تصمیمات و پیشروی داستان بیشتر انسانی بود و اوریپید خدایان رو کمتر دخالت داده بود. حتی زمانی که آخر داستان از آپولو سخن میگه، وجهه مثبتی رو ازش به نمایش نمیذاره. فکر میکنم این موضوع خیلی در زمان خودش پیشروانه محسوب میشده.
علاوه بر این حتی منفیترین شخصیتهای داستان هم وجهههایی مثبت داشتن و ممکن بود همدلیات رو برانگیزن. دلیل کلوتایمنسترا برای کشتن آگاممنون رو میتونی درک کنی و همسر کلوتایمنسترا هم در بخش کمی که حضور داره وجهههای مثبت اخلاقی مثل خوشصحبتی، مردمداری و مهماننوازی رو نشون میده. اونطور که خوندم توی دو نمونهی دیگهی این نمایشنامه (از سوفوکل و سوخولیس) اینطور نیست و شخصیتها سیاهترن.
الکترا سویهی مادرکشانهی ادیپ هست. هنوز نمیدونم برای شروع مورد مناسبی رو انتخاب کردم یا نه، اما توصیهش میکنم و قطعا تراژدیهای یونان رو ادامه خواهم داد.
مونولوگ اورستس بعد از شناخت دهقان قسمت مورد علاقهام از نمایشنامه بود.
متن بسیار کوتاه و بسیار سادهاست و توی کمتر از نیم ساعت خوانده میشه. من ترجمه آقای شهبازی رو خوندم اما متوجه شدم که ترجمهای از کوثری هم وجود داره و اون بهتره. این نمایشنامه اونقدر برام جذابیت داشت که بلافاصله متن آقا کوثری رو پیدا کنم و بخونم.
قبل از شروع، خوب هست که آشنایی مقدماتی با بکگراند ماجرا، اسطورهها و روابطشون داشته باشیم (حتی در حد دیدن فیلم تروی!) که متوجه شیم روابط خانوادگی چطور پیش میره.
درونمایهی اصلی نمایشنامه، "انتقام" و احساسات و قضاوتهای خانودگی است.
آگاممنون در جریان شروع جنگ تراوا، دختر کلوتایمنسترا، ایفیگنیا رو به پیشگاه آتنا قربانی میکنه. کلوتایمنسترا با کینهای که از آگاممنون به دل میگیره، همراه با معشوقهاش همسرش رو میکشه و در ادامه پسرش، اورستس رو از ترس انتقام به جای دیگهای میفرسته و دخترش الکترا رو به همسری دهقانی درمیاره.
داستان حول انتقام الکترا و اورستس از مادر و همسر مادرشون میگذره.
نکات قابل توجه داستان برای من این بود که بار تصمیمات و پیشروی داستان بیشتر انسانی بود و اوریپید خدایان رو کمتر دخالت داده بود. حتی زمانی که آخر داستان از آپولو سخن میگه، وجهه مثبتی رو ازش به نمایش نمیذاره. فکر میکنم این موضوع خیلی در زمان خودش پیشروانه محسوب میشده.
علاوه بر این حتی منفیترین شخصیتهای داستان هم وجهههایی مثبت داشتن و ممکن بود همدلیات رو برانگیزن. دلیل کلوتایمنسترا برای کشتن آگاممنون رو میتونی درک کنی و همسر کلوتایمنسترا هم در بخش کمی که حضور داره وجهههای مثبت اخلاقی مثل خوشصحبتی، مردمداری و مهماننوازی رو نشون میده. اونطور که خوندم توی دو نمونهی دیگهی این نمایشنامه (از سوفوکل و سوخولیس) اینطور نیست و شخصیتها سیاهترن.
الکترا سویهی مادرکشانهی ادیپ هست. هنوز نمیدونم برای شروع مورد مناسبی رو انتخاب کردم یا نه، اما توصیهش میکنم و قطعا تراژدیهای یونان رو ادامه خواهم داد.
مونولوگ اورستس بعد از شناخت دهقان قسمت مورد علاقهام از نمایشنامه بود.
April 8, 2020
Far from my favorite Euripides. I feel like this play can't decide if it wants to be a comedy or a tragedy, with Electra, bristling with vengeful energy, existing right next to the comically wimpy portrayal of Orestes that Euripides gives us. This doesn't seem to be done in a way that's compelling, as a tragicomedy is, but just seems inept to me. There are also a number of choral interludes that narrate a bunch of history, including the entire Trojan War, that seems superfluous. A small blunder in Euripides's otherwise brilliant oeuvre.
September 23, 2017
دو زن روبروی هم.
الکترای شوی نادیده داغ دیده ی پدر و جفای مادر و شوهر مادر کشیده، در آتش انتقام می سوزد. او هوادار قانون پدر است:
که زن گرش عقل و هوش باشد
باید که سر پیش مردش فرو آرد
و آن زن که غیر از این پندارد
در چشم من جوی عقل ندارد
کلوتمنسترا شوهرکشی که دلیلش را دخترکشی شوهرش و خیانت او می داند.
دیالوگ روشنگری بین این دو قبل از قتل کلوتمنسترا در می گیرد.
سرانجام خشم الکترا اراده ی برادرش را برای کشتن مادر استوار می کند.
الکترای شوی نادیده داغ دیده ی پدر و جفای مادر و شوهر مادر کشیده، در آتش انتقام می سوزد. او هوادار قانون پدر است:
که زن گرش عقل و هوش باشد
باید که سر پیش مردش فرو آرد
و آن زن که غیر از این پندارد
در چشم من جوی عقل ندارد
کلوتمنسترا شوهرکشی که دلیلش را دخترکشی شوهرش و خیانت او می داند.
دیالوگ روشنگری بین این دو قبل از قتل کلوتمنسترا در می گیرد.
سرانجام خشم الکترا اراده ی برادرش را برای کشتن مادر استوار می کند.
October 9, 2024
«آنگاه که شویی از این شاخ به آن شاخ میپرد و بسترش را فراموش میکند، زن از شویش پیروی میکند و یاری دیگر مییابد. سپس مردم یکسره از کردار ما زنان برآشفته میشوند؛ اما در کار شوهران که به راستی باید پاسخگو باشند خطایی نمیبینند.»
کلا نمیفهمم وقتی قصدتون کثافتکاریه، چرا اصلا ازدواج میکنین [یا حتی وارد رابطه میشین] که بعد دهنتون هم به یاوه و بهانه و توجیه باز باشه.
کلا نمیفهمم وقتی قصدتون کثافتکاریه، چرا اصلا ازدواج میکنین [یا حتی وارد رابطه میشین] که بعد دهنتون هم به یاوه و بهانه و توجیه باز باشه.
March 29, 2024
بعضی از اتفاقاتش با الکترای سوفوکل فرق داشت و قطعا برای اوریپید زیباتر و قویتر بود.
January 24, 2020
بیشتر به هذیان میمانست و با منطق و طرز فکر امروز هیچجوره نتوانستم توجیه و تفسیرش کنم. شاید به همین خاطر در انتهای کتاب نقدی را هم ترجمه کردهاند که مخاطب را اندکی راهنمایی کند، هرچ��د باز هم بیشتر پر از ��ما و اگر بود تا پاسخ
راستی کتابها و داستانها تاریخ انقضا ندارند؟ همواره باید ستودشان حتی اگر امروز جز شناخت مردم کهن فایده و زیبایی درشان دیده نشود؟ نمیدانم
راستی کتابها و داستانها تاریخ انقضا ندارند؟ همواره باید ستودشان حتی اگر امروز جز شناخت مردم کهن فایده و زیبایی درشان دیده نشود؟ نمیدانم
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