The Strangeness of Tragedy

216 Pages·2009·0.97 MB·English

by  Paul Hammond

The
Strangeness of Tragedy
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The
Strangeness
of Tragedy
PAUL HAMMOND
1
3
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SOPHOCLES
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CONTENTS
ANoteonTextsandTranslations ix
Abbreviations xi
Prologue 1
1 TheWorkofTragedy 13
2 Aeschylus,Oresteia 40
3 Sophocles,Electra 63
4 Sophocles,OedipustheKingand
OedipusatColonus 74
5 Sophocles,Antigone 93
6 Seneca,Thyestes 106
7 Shakespeare,Macbeth 123
8 Shakespeare,Othello 143
9 Shakespeare,KingLear 160
10 Racine,Phèdre 181
Epilogue 197
201
Index
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A NOTE ON TEXTS
AND TRANSLATIONS
The plays are quoted from the following editions. Other editions
which have been consulted are cited in the footnotes. Any unattrib-
uted translations are my own. Quotations from Greek texts are pre-
sented in Greek type, but citations of technical terms are
transliteratedfortheconvenienceofthereaderwithoutGreek.
AESCHYLUS The Greek text is from Denys Page's Oxford Classical
Texts edition, Aeschyli Septem Quae Supersunt Tragoedias (Oxford,
1972),thoughIhavenotfollowedhisuseofthelunatesigmaandiota
adscript; the English translations (unless otherwise stated) are from
Aeschylus:Oresteia,translatedbyHughLloyd-Jones(London,1982).
SOPHOCLES The Greek text and English translation (unless other-
wisestated)arefromSophocles,editedandtranslatedbyHughLloyd-
Jones,LoebClassicalLibrary,2vols.(Cambridge,Mass.,1994).
SENECA The Latin text and English translation are reprinted by per-
missionofthepublishersandtheTrusteesoftheLoebClassicalLibrary
from Seneca: Tragedies, Loeb Classical Library® Volumes 62 and 78,
translated by John G. Fitch, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, Copyright © 2004 by the President and Fellows of Harvard
College. The LoebClassical Library® is a registeredtrademark of the
PresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege.
SHAKESPEARE Shakespeare is quoted from The Complete Works of
WilliamShakespeare,editedbyHerbertFarjeon,TheNonesuchSha-
kespeare, 4 vols. (London, 1953), which reprints the First Folio text
verbatim.ThiseditionisusedwiththekindpermissionoftheNone-
suchPressandGeraldDuckworth&CoLtd. Sincethiseditiondoes
not give line numbers, these have been added from the most recent
Ardeneditions.