Classics and the Western Canon discussion

We don't normally make an early announcement for an interim read, but this one is a little longer than most, so a little advance notice may be in order:

For the winter interim we are going to go BIG (but not unmanageably so) with the Oedipus plays by Sophocles... because nothing says holidays like a little family drama!

Sometimes called the Theban cycle, or the Oedipus cycle, Sophocles' three plays about Oedipus were not written as a trilogy or a "cycle" exactly, but we'll read and discuss them in the order in which the events play out:

Nov 15: Oidipus Tyrranos (aka Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King)
Nov 29: Oidipus at Colonus
Dec 13: Antigone

A separate folder will be created for each play when the discussion opens.

There are dozens of available translations of these plays and I will provide links to a few public domain translations as we go. To start, here's Oedipus Tyrranus:

https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-sourc...

As always, feel free to post comments about your preferred translations here.

I've read these plays repeatedly and obsessively, so I'm familiar with several translations. As always, you can't go wrong with the translations in the Grene and Lattimore complete Greek tragedies,
Sophocles I: Oedipus The King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, with Oedipus the King translated by David Grene, Oedipus at Colonus translated by Robert Fitzgerald, and Antigone translated by Elizabeth Wyckoff. However, my preferred translations are those in the Harcourt Oedipus Cycle The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone which combines the Fitzgerald Oedipus at Colonus with translations of the other two plays by Fitzgerald and Dudley Fitts.
There is also a good translation of Oedipus the King by Stephen Berg and Diskin Clay Oedipus the King By Sophocles Berg Stephen Clay Diskin which has some good notes and The Three Theban Plays translated by Rober Fagles The Three Theban Plays: Antigone / Oedipus the King / Oedipus at Colonus which has a lot of introductory material and textual notes that I, personally, find a bit heavy handed.
I'll also put in a good word for Kenneth McLeish's artful translation of Antigone in his volume of Sophoclean translations Electra, Antigone & Philoctetes.

Thanks, Donnally. Those are all great suggestions. I would only add Ruby Blondell's translation for its accuracy. It's not the most fluid English but I like the way it captures the ambiguity that occasionally occurs in the Greek. A few years ago I struggled through Antigone in Greek and found her translation to be the closest to the original in meaning, though probably not in style.

I’ve got an unread copy of Seamus Heaney’s translation, The Burial at Thebes, so will check that out when we get to Antigone.

Hi, I was going to read this after my current read. I’m not sure if I can keep to this schedule but will try.

I'm a little bummed that I can't re-read and join in this. Great plays. I went and launched another online publication, though, so no time. Just wanted to say hi!

I just picked up a copy from my favorite used book story. Translation by Paul Roche. I think I read Oedipus the King in HS some 55 years ago, but just remember the skeleton of the story. Look forward to reading with the group.

Sorry you can't join us, Aiden, but weldome Inkspill and Chris! Looking forward to your thoughts.

I had forgotten the choruses in ancient Greek plays were sung (and danced). For anyone interested, here’s an article that looks at how one of the choruses in Antigone might have been performed: https://antigonejournal.com/2021/03/m...

I have to say that when it got to Antigone, I was put off by the latest Paul Roche translation. Too modern, too much slang. I had to dig out my old 1967 Penguin Classics from HS to read it. The entire trilogy was great & even though I did not contribute any comments I appreciated reading those by others.

Chris wrote: "I have to say that when it got to Antigone, I was put off by the latest Paul Roche translation. Too modern, too much slang. I had to dig out my old 1967 Penguin Classics from HS to read it. The ent..."

I had trouble finding a good Antigone translation, too. The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney seemed too free, and the Fagles translation on Kindle had too many typos = ever hear of Arc? (for Ares). I ended up reading the Jebb edition available on Perseus site.