Sunday, August 20, 2017

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles translated by David Grene; The Frogs by Aristophanes translated by Benjamin Bickley Rogers




I read the book Fifteen Greek Plays by Oxford University Press (published 1943) while bouncing up and down on my elliptical.  I read a play for each exercise session which meant exercising on the elliptical for up to an hour and a half per play.


This was not easy and I must admit I had a habit of checking to see how many more pages were left as I bounced and read.

On the positive side, I have lost twenty pounds since January and, frankly, reading while exercising makes a stationary machine a lot more bearable.

Hercaloo and I exercising and reading The Frogs
I have reviewed some of the plays on a previous post, I have not reviewed all of them, I don't feel particularly qualified to review any of them, but here are my impressions of the final two plays, one for each drama mask .
 https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5503943/il_570xN.150017915.jpg




Oedipus Rex  (The Theban Plays, #1)Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oedipus is the son of the King of Thebes.  He is sent away as an infant because an oracle prophesies that he will kill his father and marry his mother.

 Not much to say. Can't fight the fates. It took Sophocles about fifty pages to arrive at that conclusion. This is one of three plays concerning this tragedy.  The other two are Oedipus at Colossus and Antigone.

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus has already become King (Rex) after, guess what, killing his father.  Oedipus does not know that he is the murderer of his father who he thinks is the shepherd who raised him.  After listening to an oracle telling him he would kill his father, he had left home and traveled to Thebes in order to avoid committing patricide. On the road to Thebes he kills his real father in an altercation.  He spends a large part of the play searching for his father's murderer and upon discovering that he is the murderer and also guilty of incest, he gouges his eyes out. (Did I mention this was a tragedy? See unhappy face above.)

Most of this play is dialogue with the chorus coming in at the very end.

One thing worth noting. At first I thought the chorus was the third person narrator to break up the dialogue between the characters. It does provide that function on one level by making general observations about what is occurring. But the chorus also chimes in with a personal identity with emotions. Often the chorus is a lament at injustice and cruelty.

Such is the sad fate of Oedipus. All three plays are worth reading, not only because of their poetic eloquence (even in translation) but also for the sociological and cultural values one can learn from a people who play a role in developing the norms, values and culture we experience today.



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And now, as Monty Python would say, time for something different:

The Frogs of Aristophanes: Acted at Athens at the Lenaean Festival B.C. 405; The Greek Text Revised with a Translation Into Corresponding Metres, Introduction and CommentaryThe Frogs of Aristophanes: Acted at Athens at the Lenaean Festival B.C. 405; The Greek Text Revised with a Translation Into Corresponding Metres, Introduction and Commentary by Benjamin Bickley Rogers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Frogs is a comedy, and a rather saucy, bawdy one at that, by Aristophanes. The god, Dionysus and his slave, Xanthias, go to Hades to retrieve the great tragic poets, Aeschylus and Euripides, because there are no good tragedy plays among the living anymore.

Dionysus asks his half-brother Heracles for advice on the quickest way to Hades. Heracles, after laughing uproariously at him, informs him of the quickest ways, all of which involve dying. Dionysus prefers to get there alive and, knowing that Heracles did it, dresses up in a lion skin, hoping to impersonate Heracles and with Xanthias arrive at a lake (isn't it the River Styx?). Charon ferries Dionysus across but Xanthias has to walk. Xanthias also gets to pretend to be a donkey on which Dionysus rides.

While crossing the lake a chorus of frogs sing. And that is all you're going to hear about them so why are they part of the title? Another mystery hidden from me when trying to understand Greek literature. Sigh.

While in Hades Dionysus trades places with Xanthias but this backfires on him as Xanthias, pretending to be Heracles acts offended with Aeacus, the doorman to Pluto's house, and demands Aeacus flog his "servant" (Dionysus) to prove his innocence. Later both Dionysus and Xanthias claim to be gods and are tortured to see if they are. The dialogue to this is pretty funny.

Aeacus: I'll give you blow for blow.
Xanthus: A good idea.
Aeacus: I struck you.
Xanthias (increduously) No.
Aeacus: Now then I'll strike the other. (Strikes Dionysus.)
Dionysus: Tell me when?
Aeacus: I struck you.
Dionysus: Struck me? Then why didn't I sneeze?
Aeacus: I'll try the other again.
Xanthia: Good gracious!
Aeacus: Not hurt you, did I?
Xanthias: No, I merely thought of the Diomeian feast of Heracles.
Aeacus: A holy man! 'Tis now the other's turn.
Dionysus: Hi! Hi!
Aeacus: But why these tears?
Dionysus: There's such a smell of onions.

And so on. It goes on for a while and each time Xanthias and Dionysus react in pain they find some excuse to explain away their reaction. It's pretty funny.

What I enjoyed, apart from the silliness, was the structure of the poem. How accurate Benjamin Bickley Rogers was I'll never know because I'm no ancient Greek scholar but his translation into English was highly successful in its rhythm and rhyme. I found myself rollicking along on my eilliptical as I read the "question and answer" dialogue. Here's an example:

I showed them scenes of common life,
                                                           the things we know and see,
Where any blunder would at once
                                                          by all detected be.
I never blustered once
                                                         their breath and wits away
By Cycnuses or Memnons clad
                                                         in terrible array.

The highlight of the play is when in the halls of Pluto, Dionysus and Xanthias come across Aeschylus and Euripides in a contest that aims at displaying for the audience a literary criticism of the aims and merits of each man's work.

Aeschylus wins and accompanies Dionysus back to Earth. Even so, Aristophanes shows a critical appreciation of Euripides and also Sophocles. The chorus are the voters who chant the same song the dead frogs were singing at the beginning of the play.

What I would surely enjoy is watching a performance, perhaps even in the original language.



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27 comments:

Cleo said...

For now feeling qualified, you did an excellent job! :-) I haven't read The Frogs yet but I absolutely love the Theban trilogy. Here are some of the questions I asked after reading Oedipus Rex:

Can one commit a crime with complete lack of awareness and still be responsible for the repercussions of his actions?

Is the harshness of Oedipus' penalty and the suffering he endures from the consequences, a justifiable outcome given the circumstances?

Why does no one in the kingdom disagree with the punishment of Oedipus, and appear more shocked by the unintentional sins than the maiming he inflicts upon himself?

Perhaps there are no answers to them, but they're interesting to contemplate.

Congratulations on losing the 20 lbs! Yea, you! I did the same last year at this time. I haven't been as diligent in the last 6 months but I'm planning an exercise regimen to start next month.

Brian Joseph said...

Congratulations on your weight loss Sharon.

These plays are great works. I remember the first time that I read The Frogs I did not get it at all. I am glad that I read it a second time, as it really clicked.

I also would love to see it performed live.


Mudpuddle said...

i've got a book with Aristophanes but haven't read any of the plays... it's evidently time i do so... i always suspected the ancients were fairly silly persons upon occasion; so glad to hear there's some truth there... Oedipus is or used to be scheduled in every high school English course; so i suffered through that until i read it on my own, when i discovered that it was quite interesting...

what's an elliptical?

Barbara said...

Hi Sharon, well done on the weight loss and what a great idea to read while exercising, I must try that.
I love the way your little bird joins in!
Have a great week.

Stephen said...

Do you remember who the translator was for your volume of Oedipus Rex?

Sharon Wilfong said...

I don't know if your questions are rhetorical but I'm going to try to answer them anyway :)

I do not think someone is guilty if not only did they not intend to commit the crime but were intentionally trying to avoid the crime. That does not mean that one can avoid natural consequences, however.

But that does not seem to be what is going on in Greek tragedy. They were great believers in fate and no one can thwart what the fates dictate. This seems horribly unjust but also deprives the individual of responsibility. On the other hand it also deprives them of personal liberty.

These plays were written by a people who lived without hope. How wonderful for them when they learned of the Gospel.

Thanks about the weight loss. I would like to lose ten more pounds but have stayed steadily where I've been since the summer began. I will probably have to give up the wine and frappuccinos if I want to knock that last bit off.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Brian. These plays were a bit of a slog and I don't know whether that was the translator's fault of just me. I'm still glad I read them though. Not everything worth reading comes easily.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Mudpuddle. I had the same experience. I hated to read anything for a grade because it took the joy right out of reading it. I liked reading for myself without the harsh light of some academic's dry analysis. And some interpretations in college were downright goofy in my opinion.

An elliptical is a machine that lets me run without jarring my knees because I have osteoarthritis in both. My fault for all those years of running cross country.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi, Barbara. Thank you. Reading definitely makes it easier to exercise and also gets a lot of the non fiction read.

Hercaloo is my little buddy. If I leave the room she screeches until I come back. If I don't come back fast enough she hops down to the floor and walks through the house until she finds me. She then jumps onto my foot and gives me a little scolding.

(I have her wings clipped because we spend a lot of time outside.)

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Stephen. The translator was David Grene. The book is an old college text book from my mother. Do you know if he's a good translator? Is there a better you would recommend?

RTD said...

Good analysis, Sharon. Poor Oedipus teaches us that too much knowledge can be a problem. Too many people (blame Freud) read the play as an indictment of murder and incest. Well, not many people can relate to that problem, but we can all relate to the challenges of ignorance v. knowledge. It is such a delicate balance.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi R.T. You know the eclipse is beginning here as I write this. Interesting.

As I was saying, the problem with knowledge is we must have the wisdom to know how to act upon it. There were certain facts that were hidden from Oedipus (such as who is real father was) that prevented him from acting as he would have liked.

Anonymous said...

Looks like my comment from this morning never made it, but I wanted to make sure to congratulate you again, 20 pounds is amazing. I've always thought it would be fun to walk and read at the same time, but worried the movement might make me dizzy. Interesting to hear your thoughts on the two plays. I watched an outdoor performance of Antigone last Sunday, and found it very enjoyable and well done.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Marcia. Thanks for the congratulations and congratulations to you again on getting your book published.

I think some people cannot exercise and read. My sister is one. She gets ill. I'm fortunate because there's no way I could survive spending much time on a stationary machine. They are sooooo boring.

I would very much like to watch a play of Antigone. I need to look up on youtube to see if they have any.

Mudpuddle said...

i sympathize: i used to run, but switched to long distance(for me)walking +- 30 years ago; so i've got knee and hip troubles now... i ride bike mostly now...

Sharon Wilfong said...

It's a shame because I really loved running. You hit that stride and feel like you are flying over the ground. My poor knees can't handle it anymore.

Biking is fun, too however.

RTD said...

FYI
https://informalinquiries.blogspot.com/2017/08/oedipus-first-among-sleuths.html

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks R.T. I'll go look it up.

Mudpuddle said...

Sharon: in answer to your question re Trollope... it's not all the same behavioral trait i was talking about, but certain of his characters occupy given slots in his work; like the poverty stricken preacher whose pride won't allow him to accept aid-his intransigence is discussed over and over again, ad infinitum, until the reader, worn out with reading the same thing over repeatedly, lies on the carpet and cries... in the book reviewed by Cleo, Lily, in spite of loving whatisname, doesn't marry him because of her prideful conviction of her supposed unworthiness, which is dragged out endlessly, until the reader, thinking it's a dumb way to behave, screams and throws the book across the room... and i've read other of T's books in which other traits are hounded to death in the same fashion.... sooo, that's what i was talking about... i still like T pretty well, but the above sort of thing does grind on one a bit...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Mudpuddle: Are you sure you are not a professional writer? You are hilarious.

I know what you mean about writing that makes you grind your teeth. I feel that way about Cooper.

And country music. What seems to be super popular with female country music singers is the lament of "my man abuses me and I'm done so here I am waiting for him on the front porch with my .22"

I suppose I'm expected to just ignore the lyrics and enjoy the slide guitar or appreciate how the songster reflects real women with the real issues.

I keep thinking: "Girlfriend. Why were you such an idiot as to hook up with the man? Did you not bother getting to know his character before starting a relationship with him? What did you expect from a drunk guy you met in a bar?"

I'm probably too literal to listen to that music, which is why I rarely do. Classical music is my friend.

Except opera. What a bunch of dopey yahoos make up the characters in your average opera.

Mudpuddle said...

noo, don't say that! i love opera, especially Rossini! even the overtures... it's true that during his life in music, his critics called him "Signore Crescendo", but i still like it, also the crescendi...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Don't get me wrong. Rossini, Bellini, Bizet and the rest make incredibly beautiful music. It's just the story lines are kind of absurd.

Why do men forever fall in love with "fallen" women who, if they're not terminally ill, die through some tragedy? I mean if they just made wise choices or used common sense there wouldn't even be a story.

Even so, La Traviata has one of the most beautiful arias ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McYnQUbqYwQ

Then there's Mozart. I love all his operas because they're silly...except for the Magic Flute which is surreal but still wonderful. Queen of the Night...

Mudpuddle said...

La T is wonderful... i spent a half hour today listening to different tenors sing "Nessun Dorme", from Turandot, one of the most beautiful arias ever composed, imho...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Turandot is a favorite. I remember watching the opera years ago with Placido Domingo and Ava Martin. She has the most incredible voice; it mesmerizes me.

I had not seen the opera before and did not know how it was going to end. I was just stunned.

Mudpuddle said...

yes: powerful and maybe too violent for my taste... i still think i like Rossini best... i think it is in "Italians in Algiers" that the "Bell" aria occurs: it's a tuneful duet between two sopranos who rapidly exchange notes in a high pitch so that it sounds very like a small bell: it's quite remarkable and the only instance i'm aware of in which that sort of thing occurs...

Sharon Wilfong said...

well, Turandot is another example of someone doing something done. With her track record, I wouldn't be giving Turandot my name. Luckily it all worked out in the end.

I don't know Italians in Algiers. I need to look it up.

Mudpuddle said...

thinking about it, it might have been "La cenerentola" but i'm not sure about that either... i'll just have to listen to all of them again to find out... haha...