Description

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These three ancient tragedies—Trojan Women, Helen, and Hecuba—dramatize the tragic fates of women in the wake of war. Euripides (480–406 BC) innovatively brought to Greek tragedy the inner lives of his characters. In these plays he delivers powerful portrayals of the suffering of both Greek and Trojan women as they become pawns and prizes of warring men.

Francis Blessington combines his work as a poet, translator, and teacher of literature and Greek with his theatrical experience to create fresh and faithful verse translations suitable for the stage, the classroom, or the general reader. The three plays are augmented by introductions, notes, and an appendix on elements of Greek tragedy. Blessington glosses historical and mythological terms, identifies Greek themes in the texts, offers literary interpretations, and suggests topics for discussion.

About the Author

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Francis Blessington is a professor of English at Northeastern University in Boston. He is the author of several books of poetry and scholarship and has published translations of Euripides' The Bacchae and Aristophanes' The Frogs.

Praise For…

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"The admirable new translation [of Trojan Women] by Francis Blessington is notable for its clarity and dark eloquence."—Boston Globe

"These lively, accurate translations will allow readers and theater audiences to appreciate the power of Euripidean tragedy. Blessington's language is spare and his translation fairly literal, allowing direct—sometimes punchy—delivery while retaining poetic expressions from the Greek."—Francis Dunn, author of Tragedy's End

“Admirable. . . . Blessington succeeds in making these plays feel like poetry . . . all the while remaining true to the Greek.”—Classics for All