Greek Tragedies, Volume 1: Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound; Sophocles: Oedipus the King, Antigone; Euripides: Hippolytus

The Complete Greek Tragedies #1

by David Grene (Editor, Translator), Richmond Lattimore (Editor, Translator), Aeschylus

In three paperback volumes, the Grene and Lattimore editions offer a selection of the most important and characteristic plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides from the nine-volume anthology of The Complete Greek Tragedies . Over the years these authoritative, critically acclaimed editions have been the preferred choice of more than three million readers for personal libraries and individual study as well as for classroom use.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Drama, Mythology, Fiction, Literature, Poetry

295 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1991

About the author

David Grene (1913-2002) taught classics for many years at the University of Chicago.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review is of the third edition.) I assigned this anthology for students in my Greek and Roman mythology class. My review will be in three parts: 1. The translation and paratextual apparatus. 2. The selection of texts. 3. The plays themselves.

1. The translation and paratextual apparatus

Like the series from which these translations come, The Complete Greek Tragedies, these are readable, poetic renderings by translator-poets. The original editors of the volume, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, translated four out of the five themselves (Grene: Prometheus Bound, Oedipus the King, and Hippolytus; Lattimore: Agamemnon) and Elizabeth Wyckoff translated the fifth play, Sophocles' Antigone. These translations are both poetic and smooth, and they avoid the awkwardness of, for example, Fagles putting 'Aieee!' into people's mouths to translate 'Aiai!'.

My one concern is that in this third edition, the new editors, Mark Griffith and Glenn W. Most, have taken it upon themselves not only to update the introductions and notes, but the translations as well. They claim that they have made the translations more accurate. I do not have time to sit down with the second and third editions and the Greek texts, but I am skeptical about this claim, solely on the grounds that poetic meaning and poetic diction are not always properly separable, and one Greek word or phrase may have multiple English renderings (of which I'm sure Griffith and Most are aware). I fear that this is more of the humanities slipping towards a false certainty of 'accuracy' derived from the sciences.

Paratextually, I am not fond of endnotes in the first place. Endnotes that are marked by a symbol in the main text that requires you to hunt and hunt I like less. This, however, is the name of the game for popular level translations of the classics, as seen in Penguin and Oxford World's Classics as well. I found the introductions just what an undergrad needs -- basic information, quick, snappy not too long. Finally, I am not so fond of rendering the sung parts of the plays in italics. A fourth edition should think of something else, although I think the rubrics should be enough.

2. The selection of texts

This is a good volume for someone who wants to try out Greek tragedies or for a class like mine that is giving a taster of classical literature -- Aeschylus' and Sophocles' most famous plays are here, Agamemnon and Prometheus Bound for the former, and Oedipus the King and Antigone for the latter. I would have expected Medea or Bacchae from Euripides rather than Hippolytus. In fact, one weakness of the selection is the fact that we get only five plays; two from each playwright would have made sense. Euripides, who exists in larger quantity, gets short shrift. The only problem with selection is endemic to anthologies -- we get Agamemnon but not the rest of the Oresteia, for example; but at least that's the best play of the three.

3. The plays themselves

Agamemnon by Aeschylus begins the volume. Here you meet straight up the fact that all the action happens off-stage in a Greek tragedy. This is the story of the homecoming of the Greek general from Troy to an unjoyous reunion with his wife, Clytemnestra, and his cousin, Aegisthus. Machinations are afoot, and vengeance is found. Clytemnestra has the reputation of being the most evil woman in Greek literature, but if your husband sacrificed your daughter to a goddess before going off to war for ten years, then came home with a concubine, I think you'd be a bit ticked off as well. Hubris and inescapable necessity (anangke) are the themes here.

Then Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. This play opens with Prometheus getting chained to a rock and then having conversations with passersby, explaining why he was chained there and what it will take to unchain him. The main theme is the power of Zeus. The confrontation between Prometheus and Zeus, it must be remembered, is between two gods. So, unlike the Romantics' reading of the play, there is no railing against divine (in)justice here. Rather, since we are beholding ontological equals in conflict, the question of ancient Greek tyranny is much more germane than whether Olympian Zeus was a tyrant in relation to humans. Along the way, the myth of Io is also told; I'd hate to see a film version of this with a CG cow delivering Io's lines.

Oedipus the King is Sophocles' famous rendering of the myth of Oedipus, a story known to most of us because of Sigmund Freud. The play is a masterpiece, as demonstrated by Aristotle's Poetics. The confrontations with Oedipus from the beginning of the play to when he blinds himself demonstrate his own unwillingness to acknowledge the limits of his knowledge. Relentlessly, he pursues the truth, drawing the circle around himself as the murderer of Laius tighter and tighter until the moment of recognition (anagnorisis) comes, bringing the main character's fall.

After the events of Oedipus, there is a civil war between his sons (recounted in its own way in Aeschylus' play Seven Against Thebes, which is in Aeschylus II). When the civil war is over, the brothers Eteocles and Polyneices lie dead on the battlefield before Thebes. Creon, their uncle and Oedipus' brother-in-law/uncle, is now king. He decrees that Polynieces is not to be buried since he waged war against his own fatherland.

Here begins Sophocles' Antigone. I have a soft spot for this play, since it was the first piece of classical literature I read, back in high school (the second, in the summer before Grade 12, was the translation of Homer's Odyssey by Robert Fagles). Here we see the conflict between natural/divine law on the one hand and man-made law on the other. Even though the play was written before Oedipus, Sophocles is consistent in his characterisation of Creon -- a man who did not want to become king because of the worries it would create. In this play, he grows in paranoia until he breaks and relents too late to stop a triple suicide. Powerful in its portrayal of female confrontation with authority.

The volume closes with Euripides' Hippolytus. Here the theme is love, and love gone wrong. Hippolytus rejects Aphrodite, so she makes his step-mother, Phaedra, fall in love with him. Contrary to the positive portrayal of romantic love in pop songs and Hollywood, Euripides presents us with an elemental, amoral, at times immoral force that brings destruction all around it.

All five plays are masterpieces of Greek literature.

[Amrita · Rating 4 out of 5]

the moral of the story is that zeus sucks; never trust a god that can wield lightning bolts and rule like, all of existence but still spends all his time messing with mortals because he can

[Amir Atef · Rating 4 out of 5]

وما التراجيديا سوى سوفوكليس وأيسخيليوس وهيبوليتوس ويوربيديس ؟
وبالأخص سوفوكليس
ذلك الكاتب الذي عبر .. وبقوة عن معاناة الإنسان ونوازع النفس البشرية على خشبة مسرحه
أوديب ملكا .. تلك المسرحية التي انبثق منها عدة أعمال أخرى أفادت الإنسانية
وبطل مأساوي تراجيدي ظب طوال الرواية يبحث عن القاتل .. وهو نفسه القاتل
من أعظم الكتب التي تناولت التراجيديا اليونانية القديمة
أربعة نجوم .. والنجمة الخامسة ضاعت لأن الكاتب ديفيد جرين لم يعط يوربيديس حقه فى هذا الكتاب
يوربيديس صاحب ملحمة ميديا وياسون بالمناسبة
الكتاب جميل وأنصح بقراءته كل من هو مهتم بالفن الغريقي ولاسيما التراجيديا... والبطل المأساوي

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Required text for school, otherwise I would not have purchased this book - Grene's translation pales in comparison to that of Smyth and other translators. Grene does a very poor job - I compared him line-by-line to a few others. The best translation of Prometheus Bound is by Smyth: http://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusPr....

[Belphoebe Merkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It got better and better as it went, Oedipus and Hippolytus were definitely my favorites as far as how they were told and what they instilled in the audience.

[Vicki M. Z.]

Myths are amazing.

Oedipus The King: 4/5 (possibly the best written story of dramatic irony, fate, and tragic flaw)

[yassiin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to rank the tragedies in this book based on how angry I would be if this happened to me:

5th - Antigone: Yeah it kinda sucks that I can't bury my brother, but I think I'd still be able to get over it. I would be disgruntled for sure though. 2/5 would be angry.

4th - Prometheus Bound: Lowkey, yeah, major flop vibes that I'm strung up on a mountain, but at least I get to live and I have a pet eagle, and I get to meet a bunch of eccentric travelers. Plus I can read out prophecies, so I basically have superpowers. 2/5 would be angry.

3rd - Agamemnon: I come home from a 10 year war and then my wife stabs me cause she's been sleeping with my cousin. I mean, besides the fact that Clytaemnestra is a DIVA and there would be so many TikTok edits of her if she was still alive, if I was Agamemnon I'd feel betrayed. But also, I was a horrible person so I kinda deserve it. 3/5 would be angry.

2nd - Hippolytus: Bruh, this one is kinda wild. Imagine, I'm just living my life and I'm not interested in women (I might be fruity and in denial) and then my STEP-MOM is like "wanna bang". And I'm like "no, this is weird" so she tells my dad I assaulted her and then offs herself. Then I'm like "Dad, you're really gonna believe that your own son would do that just cause this random chick wrote that in a letter". And then my dad is like "Yeah. Seems legit" and then he... offs me. 4/5 would be angry.

1st - Oedipus: Ah, the granddaddy of Freudian psychoanalysis. Does the myth, the man, the legend himself even need an introduction? I would not wanna be Oedipus. Plain and simple: one day I'm a jolly king, the next day it turns out I killed my dad, banged my mom, and now everyone hates me.
5/5 would be angry.

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lost this book on the bus before I could finish Hippolytus (thank you Saskatoon Transit for not helping me find it!!). I have no authority on the topic but the translations were accessible and often times melodic. Notes on translations are in the back and there are nice summaries of each piece to help a reader get situated.

[Scott Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I did enjoy reading these plays but I was more in awe by their production. Aside from the chorus or orchestra (the extras), only three actors played all the characters in the play. And it just wasn't one play that Aeshylus, Sophocles or Euripedes created. They wrote three tragedies and a comedy to be performed in competition for their audiences.

What also helped in understanding and appreciating these plays was to listen to some lectures by Elizabeth Vandiver on the Greek Tragedy. Professor Vandiver describes in detail costuming, stage sets and how these plays might have been performed.

Greek Tragedies Volume 1 is definitely worth the read and it's a shame to realize how many of these great works have been lost to us.

[Isabella Roh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set of translations is readable, but also elegant, which well reflects what I understand of Greek. The Greek tragedies are fascinating, since most of the action happens away from the audience and is simply reported. This stylistic aspect is due to the way these plays were presented—as a cathartic experience during religious festivals.
The least interesting play of these, Prometheus Bound, was still an interesting meditation on fate and power. The best of them, in my opinion, Hippolytus, was a tragic story of deception, redemption, and reconciliation, with a critique of the arbitrary nature of the Greek gods.
All in all—definitely worth the time, especially since the plays cast such long shadows into modern literature, especially when they reach through Seneca, to Shakespeare.

[AtrickP T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utopiaoid0512.com

Go to the link to read a fantasy story I wrote using all I learned reading books like this, about the ancient Greeks and more…

[xinyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow!!!!!! this was my first time actually reading and understanding the greek tragedies rather than just knowing the summary of the stories. each one is, as expected, tragic, and i like how each play’s theme was slightly different - it made the tragedies varied and not just the same “sad” over and over again

this has definitely piqued my interest into reading up more about the greek tragedies, and i’ll likely revisit this book to apply what i’ve learnt later on

[Juno Hoar · Rating 3 out of 5]

i only read agamemnon and opedius the king but it’s not letting me change it so oh well this is my rating for those two plays then

[James Swenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read and reviewed the Oresteia of Aeschylus, translated by Richmond Lattimore. [I didn't like it that much.] The present work was much more entertaining. The five plays collected here are selected from The Complete Greek Tragedies - 4 Vol Set -- perhaps they are the greatest hits.

Agamemnon is pretty slow, but Prometheus Bound is rather remarkable. While most of the tragedies are fairly pious, this one is iconoclastic. It is no surprise that Prometheus should rail against his torturers, but it is surprising to hear the Chorus say to him, "I am strong in hope that once released / from these chains you will be no less strong that Zeus." I was also surprised to see that Aeschylus could write something funny... Prometheus, after foretelling Io's destiny, invites her questions:

If anything of this is still obscure
or difficult ask me again and learn
clearly: I have more leisure than I wish.

Oedipus the King is recognizably an interesting play, but I found it hard to enjoy, because the entire plot is so well known. It's like Dracula: no one is surprised when the Count turns out to be a... vampire!!

Antigone has some good action, as does Hippolytus, which also gives us love potions and some 2500-year-old chatter about how worthless women are. Still, at least something happens. I could imagine going to see either of those plays live, and enjoying it.

[Gregorio Pineda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This only pertains to Sophocles: Oedipus the King. It was my first time reading this story and wasn't that difficult to follow. This translation is done well and is simple for the reader to follow the scenes.
There always seems to be a bit of action going on in this story. What I mean by that is there is always tension through the story which creates a healthy amount of suspense that engages the reader. There are moments of relief but they do not last long as the suspense builds again. You could easily read all 1727 lines in one sitting which is incredible as most classic pieces lose my attention rather quickly.
The questions posed by this story from a perspective of fate really reinforced during its time that no matter what you do the gods always have their way. You can see through the concerted efforts of both Oedipus's real father and Oedipus himself they try to circumvent their fates but can't escape what is ordained. It leaves Oedipus feeling hopeless in his circumstances.
Since it was my first time reading the story the ending for me was not what I predicted which further advanced my opinion of this being a good read.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's tough to give a balanced review on this book, considering that it contains 5 separate plays-by three separate authors. I enjoyed all of them, though it can be a bit rough to read 5 Greek tragedies in succession. Most of the stories I was already familiar with, and some I had even read before, but I think my favorite was Antigone-I actually got caught up in the climax in the end, which I generally wasn't expecting.

I intend to read the rest of the tragedies in the series, not only for the entertainment that the stories themselves provide, but also the literary significance these works represent. Many of these works are oft-referenced by other stories, and I believe that by understanding an author's source material, as a reader you are better equipped to understand the author's narrative.

I would recommend to any looking for a good introduction to Greek tragedy, as well as any looking to become a more well-rounded reader of literature.

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This week’s reading included a book of Greek tragedies. So far I’ve read Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound, Oedipus the King, and I’m working on Antigone. I’m not really a big fan of Greek mythology (compared to other mythologies), and somehow I thought I would feel similarly about Greek tragedies. So far, though…I have to say, I’m really enjoying them. I prefer tragedies (or at least histories) to comedies when it comes to plays anyway, and these have some really great lines. Granted, they’re not the cheeriest bit of lunchtime reading ever, but I find dealing with difficult clients is much easier when I compare my problems to those of the plays’ characters. It’s all relative, I suppose.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prometheus Bound is one of those overlooked tragedies that nonetheless has a lot of significance underlying its plot structure. Prometheus is like the terrorist who knows the plot while the bumbling powers that be cannot fathom that their own world is in peril and could collapse at any moment. The Hippolytus is a display of divine cruelty and injustice even in the structure of justice that functions in Greek religious, political and social thought. And Oedipus Rex and Antigone, are of course, our paradigms for all of tragedy.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the culture and/or literature of Ancient Greece, then this book is pretty much a must-read. It has five of the greatest surviving Greek tragedies from three of the most famous playwrights of the ancient world. More than that, the translations are superb and the notes, when needed to be included, are quite helpful,resulting in some of the best versions of these works that can be found anywhere. For those unfamiliar, I can also say that the stories are truly good in their own right, even all these centuries after they were written.

[James Badger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like tales of women scorned who go on murderous rampages? If so, then this compilation of Greek tragedies is for you! Watch as several men make the mistake of bringing home a young war bride only to be murdered in their sleep by a jealous wife. And that's not all! Watch a tormented Oedipus come to the realization of all the terrible things he has accidentally done in fulfillment of prophecy, all of which gave Freud a basis for his most cockeyed theories. There is a lot of valuable cultural insight in this volume, and some of the plot lines will keep you scratching your head for days.

[Heather Palmer]

In three paperback volumes, the Grene and Lattimore editions offer a selection of the most important and characteristic plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides from the nine-volume anthology of The Complete Greek Tragedies. Over the years these authoritative, critically acclaimed editions have been the preferred choice of more than three million readers for personal libraries and individual study as well as for classroom use.

[Atimia Atimia · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone picking up this particular edition, if you start with Agamemnon, you might be put off rather quickly. It's the most difficult one to read, and has a very distinct style when compared to the others.

Background knowledge of Greek mythology is pretty helpful as well, I personally read Hamilton while reading this.

Great stories and phrasing, they've probably conned me into spending 20 more euros on PII&III.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like all of these plays (especially Antigone, good grief my heart wrenches every time), but these specific translations didn't offer an abundance of excellence. They're the kind of translations that use highbrow language to make the material seem more intellectual and scholarly, which, in my opinion, just makes it less accessible and decreases readability. Even setting that aside, they didn't stand out at all compared to other versions I've read. The plays themselves? *chef's kiss*

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

- I finished "Agamemnon" and now I've moved on to the second book, just to keep with the trilogy.

- I liked "Prometheus Bound" a lot.

- "Oedipus the King" is really a downer. And he's such a jerk. I forgot what a jerk he was.

- Antigone - fabulous, I see why people read this in survey classes.

- Hippolytus - Euripides is pretty jazzy.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three stars.
I'm usually hesitant to award more than three in the case of dramatic works, as so very much depends on the director's choices and the production itself. In this case, the collection is an excellent introduction to Greek tragedies, but the scholarly notes left much to be desired.

[Danielle Mccormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three big shots of Ancient Greek play writing all in one. You really can't go wrong. My personal favorite is Prometheus Bound (the first play ever written to include more than one character on set at a time) but there's going to be something in here for everyone who loves Mythology and/or Greek plays.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agamemnon - Aeschylus - translated by Richard Lattimore - four stars
Prometheus Bound - David Grene - three stars
Oedipus the King - Sophocles - translated by David Grene - five stars
Antigone - Sophocles - translated by Elizabeth Wyckoff - four stars
Hippolytus - Euripides - translated by David Grene - five stars

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, poetic translations. The only drawback is the three plays comprising Aeschylus's Oreisteia are spread over all three volumes and the Theban Plays of Sophocles are spread over Volumes 1 and 3. It should be noted that I paid $1.50, $1.50, and $1.95 for these volumes in 1970 or thereabouts.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in college for my Greek Tragedies class....it was by far one of my favorite classes in my entire college career. Antigone is one of my favorite Greek tragedies of all time. Good, classic reads...

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agammemnon by Aechylus
You may sacrifice your daughter but the sins of your father may come back to haunt you. Sacrifice to the gods to appease them or to ask for something from them.

Prometheus Bound
Why does Zeus despise man?