Classical Dramatists – serie

Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series Euripides' searching, poetic voice probes the waste and suffering of war in these plays which are set wake of the Trojan defeat to reflect the playwright's changing attitude to the real war between Athens and Sparta in his own day - 4th century BC. Hecuba is a play of ghosts and shadowy death; The Women of Troy is a searing indictment of the aftermath of defeat; Iphigenia at Aulis shows a human tragedy at the heart of the mechanics of war; and Cyclops is a satyr play which offers a comic antidote to the tragedies.With an introduction by J. Michael Walton

Includes the plays Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, collectively known as the Theban plays. Starting with Oedipus the King and ending with the ultimate sacrifice of Antigone, his daughter the plays follow the trials of a family cursed by the edict of an oracle that "you will kill your father and marry with your mother". From the fourth century BC - when Aristotle took Oedipus the King as his model tragedy, the influence of Sophocles' great plays has been assured. These three great tragedies have a relevance and immediacy as metaphors for some of the most fundamentally held beliefs and values in our culture.This volume contains the Theban plays - widely studied in schools and universities. Translated and with an introduction and notes from Don Taylor - the playwright who directed these plays for BBC TV

Sophocles' greatest plays reissued in the new Classical Greek Dramatists series. Introduced by series editor J Michael Walton Includes the surviving complete plays: Ajax which plots the downfall of Odysseus's greatest Trojan enemy - who slaughters a whole herd of cattle before killing himself; Women of Trachis in which the seemingly docile Deianira prepares a lethal homecoming for her womanising husband Heracles; in Electra the son and daughter of the ill-starred Agamemnon plan their revenge on their usurping stepfather and mother and finally Philoctetes in which Sophocles brilliantly explores the themes of pain, love and the betrayal of trust.

Classic plays reissued in the new Methuen Greek Classics series in a new distinctive style The Persians; based on the destruction of the Persian invaders in 480BC, breaks with the Greek tradition of purely dramatising myths to deals with the recent past and with characters who would have been familiar to its first audience in 472BC; Prometheus Bound stages the stand off between the original rebel and hero Prometheus and almighty Zeus; Suppliants, follows the plight of Danaus and his daughters, in flight from a fateful marriage contract with the King of Egypt's sons and shows the triumph of humanity over brute force while Seven Against Thebes dramatises the final battle between the two sons of Oedipus Eteocles and Polynices in the climax of the Oedipus saga. Translated by Kenneth McLeish and Frederic Raphael, these plays are widely studied in schools, colleges and universities.

Four of Aeschylus' greatest plays reissued in the new Classical Greek Dramatists series Includes the Oresteia trilogy, a key sequence of plays within the Western dramatic tradition - widely studied in schools and universities. Agamemnon tells the tale of the king's return from the battle of Troyto find that his wife has laid out a red carpet to welcome him that will, ironically, lead him to his death; The Libation Bearers continues the saga into the next generation with Orestes and Electra seeking justice for their dead father whilst in the Eumenides, the traces of inherited bloodlust are laid to rest by the figure of Athene. Translated with an introduction and notes from J. Michael Walton - the series editor for the Greek classics and reissued in the new Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists series in stylish, new and modern jackets.

Reissue of Aristophanes' most famous plays in the Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists series Aristophanes was a unique writer for the comic stage as well as one of the most revealing about the society for which he wrote.

Reissue of Aristophanes' most famous plays in the Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists series Aristophanes is the oldest comedic writer in Western literature. Although only eleven of the some forty plays he wrote survive, his unique blend of slapstick, fantasy, bawy and political satire provide us with a vivid picture of the ancient Athenians - their social mores, their beliefs and their exuberant sense of occasion. Wasps is a lawcourt satire, Clouds a lighthearted look at education, Birds a search for the perfect society, Festival Time a feminist trial of Euripides and Frogs a celebration of and debate around the theatre.Aristophanes was a unique writer for the comic stage as well as one of the most revealing about the society for which he wrote.

An essential book for students of Greek drama and literature: Aristophanes is widely regarded as one of Ancient Greece's foremost satirists - offering students of the period a unique insight into the world of Athens and its theatre Written in the century following the defeat of Athens by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, these four plays signal a change of emphasis in stage comedy more appropriate to the new world order of the fourth century BC. Women in Power and Wealth complete the cycle of Aristophanes' extant plays begun in Aristophanes Plays: One and Two, translated by Kenneth McLeish and J Michael Walton. These editions provide full introductions; discussing the plays and placing them in their political and social context.Aristophanes was a unique writer for the comic stage as well as one of the most revealing about the society for which he wrote.

A translation of one of Euripides' finest plays by one of Britain's most experienced translators Ion is the story of the abandoned child Ion, reunited with her mother Xouthos

Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series The three plays in this volume straddle the borders between comedy and tragedy. Alkestis is a moving "romance" with death; it has parallels to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. Helen, an alternative version of the tragic portrayal of the Trojan War, shows Helen "relocated in a delightful comedy" (Observer) - as an innocent victim of her own beauty, hidden in Egypt by the gods while her image has been abducted by Paris. In Ion, a father who thought he was childless discovers his son, and a son who thought he was motherless finds his mother.

"Euripides, the Athenian playwright who dared to question the whims of wanton gods, has always been the most intriguing of the Greek tragedians. Now, with translations aimed at the stage rather than the page, his restless intellect strikes the chord This volume contains some of Euripides' most famous works: Elektra, which reverses previous notions of 'heroic' behaviour; Orestes, in which almost all the characters are driven by base motives of cowardice or revenge; Iphigeneia in Tauris who presumes her brother Orestes dead and her mother Klytemnestra and stepfather Aigisthos still living, is visited by a surprise guest. Elektra, Oresetes and Iphigeneia in Tauris were performed together as Agamemnon's children at The Gate Theatre in 1995 and show the consequences of Agamemnon's "sacrifice" of his daughter at the start of the Trojan war.

Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series Written at the height of the Peloponnesian War, the three plays in this volume highlight the trivial causes and dire consequences of war and the fate of the innocent. In Andromache, Hektor's widow struggles to survive as the concubine of her husband's killer. Herakles' Children and Herakles show his two young families, without his powerful protection at the mercy of his enemies. Full of humanity and subtle characterisation, these new translations by Robert Cannon and Kenneth McLeish which are intended both for performer and student, Euripides is reaffirmed as a fresh and compelling dramatist.

Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series A dramatist whose trademark was the unexpected, Euripides has constantly challenged and intrigued audiences, from Athens of the fifth century BC to the present. The three plays in this volume demonstrate Euripides' versatility. Hippolytos (which was turned into Phedre by Racine), deals with sexual passion, incest and abstinence; Suppliants (a version of the Antigone story) sets the play in Eleusis and dramatises the moment when the mothers of the dead sons of Oedipus beg Theseus to go to Thebes and demand their sons' bodies for burial. In Rhesos, all the confusion of sentry duty, the intrigue of spies and intruders, disguises and deceptions are crammed into a single night when the fortunes of war turn against the Trojans by a mixture of devious behaviour and sheer bad luck.

Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series. Always controversial, Euripides' plays are now celebrated for the subtlety of their characterisation and their unorthodox dramatic style. This volume contains three of his finest tragedies: Medea, the abandoned wife, who murders her own children; The Phoenician Women, a further twist in the story of Oedipus and Jocasta; and Bacchae, a macabre and complex play, about the power and irrationality of Dionysos. These translations are by David Thompson and J. Michael Walton.With an introduction by J. Michael Walton

Six wide ranging classic plays with introduction by the editor The comedies of the Athenian theatre not only lie at the root of Western drama, they also offer a unique insight into everyday life in ancient Greece. This selection of six wide ranging plays includes the comic fantasies of Aristophanes, which combine the ridiculous with serious satirical comment (Birds, Frogs, Women in Power); Menander's The Woman from Samos, a recognisable forebear of today's situation comedy; Euripides ribald satyr play, Cyclops, the only surviving example of the genre, and his Alkestis, a complex romance which gave a new face to comedy. The volume is edited and introduced by J. Michael Walton, Professor of Drama at the University of Hull and founder/director of the Performance Translation Centre there.

A single-volume edition of the major Greek tragedies In a period of sixty-six years, three Athenian playwrights produced a series of tragedies which became a touchstone for drama for the next two and a half thousand years. The six plays in this volume include Aeschylus' Persians (472 BC), the earliest surviving Greek tragedy and only surviving 'history' play; his Prometheus Bound, perhaps the most deeply mythological of all tragedies, presenting an archetype of the human condition; Sophocles' Women of Trachis, a deeply poignant piece, portraying Heracles' death through his wife's mistake; his strange Philoctetes, which presents a fascinating moral debate and a young man's realisation of the importance of loyalty to his own ideals; Euripides' Trojan Women, the greatest anti-war play ever written; and his intangible Bacchae, a play full of paradoxes which functions at many different levels.The volume is edited and introduced by Marianne McDonald, Professor of Theatre and Classics, University of California, San Diego, and J. Michael Walton, Professor of Drama at the University of Hull.

Four essential classic plays with an introduction by the editor The comedies of Plautus and Terence are all that survive to us of a great age of Roman comedy theatre. Collected here are four important plays that offer a unique insight into everyday life in ancient Rome, whilst maintaining a pivotal influence over the theatre of the present day. In The Haunted House the intrigues of a clever slave are played out in a virtuoso comic role; Plautus's Casina is a fast-moving romp through the sexual mores of the Roman upper classes; Terence's more sophisticated The Eunuch, and The Brothers are perhaps closer in sentiment to the attitudes of modern comedy and reflect situations with universal appeal. The volume is edited and introduced by J.Michael Walton, Professor of Drama at the University of Hull.

The best-selling author's adaptation of one of Euripides' great tragedies In time of war unspeakable unthinkable things are done...Edna O'Brien's critically acclaimed adaptation of the Euripides play dramatises the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter to the cause of his campaign to win back Helen of Troy."O'Brien gives force and clarity to a notoriously corrupt text; what impresses is the swift narrative drive of this seventy-five minute version and the vigour and irony of O'Brien's language" Guardian"Edna O'Brien's silky new version of Euripides" Daily Mail "O'Brien's adaptation is loyal and respectful" Sunday Times "Eloquent and compelling" Sunday Telegraph

The Greek fleet assembles at the bay of Aulis in readiness to launch an attack on Troy, but the wind suddenly drops and the ships stand idle. Don Taylor's translation is faithful to Euripides' original, and the play confronts us with themes of war and humanity, as valid today as when written over two thousand years ago.

"Euripides, the Athenian playwright who dared to question the whims of wanton gods, has always been the most intriguing of the Greek tragedians. Now, with translations aimed at the stage rather than the page, his restless intellect strikes the chord

This volume contains some of Euripides'' most famous works: Elektra, which reverses previous notions of ''heroic'' behaviour; Orestes, in which almost all the characters are driven by base motives of cowardice or revenge; Iphigeneia in Tauris who presumes her brother Orestes dead and her mother Klytemnestra and stepfather Aigisthos still living, is visited by a surprise guest.Elektra, Oresetes and Iphigeneia in Tauris were performed together as Agamemnon''s children at The Gate Theatre in 1995 and show the consequences of Agamemnon''s "sacrifice" of his daughter at the start of the Trojan war.

"Euripides, the Athenian playwright who dared to question the whims of wanton gods, has always been the most intriguing of the Greek tragedians. Now, with translations aimed at the stage rather than the page, his restless intellect strikes the chord

This volume contains some of Euripides'' most famous works: Elektra, which reverses previous notions of ''heroic'' behaviour; Orestes, in which almost all the characters are driven by base motives of cowardice or revenge; Iphigeneia in Tauris who presumes her brother Orestes dead and her mother Klytemnestra and stepfather Aigisthos still living, is visited by a surprise guest.Elektra, Oresetes and Iphigeneia in Tauris were performed together as Agamemnon''s children at The Gate Theatre in 1995 and show the consequences of Agamemnon''s "sacrifice" of his daughter at the start of the Trojan war.

A translation of one of Euripides'' finest plays by one of Britain''s most experienced translators

Ion is the story of the abandoned child Ion, reunited with her mother Xouthos

A translation of one of Euripides'' finest plays by one of Britain''s most experienced translators

Ion is the story of the abandoned child Ion, reunited with her mother Xouthos

Reissue of Aristophanes'' most famous plays in the Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists seriesAristophanes is the oldest comedic writer in Western literature. Although only eleven of the some forty plays he wrote survive, his unique blend of slapstick, fantasy, bawy and political satire provide us with a vivid picture of the ancient Athenians - their social mores, their beliefs and their exuberant sense of occasion. Wasps is a lawcourt satire, Clouds a lighthearted look at education, Birds a search for the perfect society, Festival Time a feminist trial of Euripides and Frogs a celebration of and debate around the theatre.Aristophanes was a unique writer for the comic stage as well as one of the most revealing about the society for which he wrote.