Euripides: Medea (Cambridge Translations from Greek Drama)

I can't honestly say I enjoyed reading this very much. I love Greek mythology, but when reading for pleasure I'd rather read a prose retelling. But there are times one has to study the original. In my case, this is one of the set books for my Open University module. This translation is clear and easy to read, and is accompanied by a very informative commentary, which I'm sure I will be referencing frequently when it's time to write my assignments.

Purchased for my eldest son who is studying an OU Classics degree, and when asked about his thoughts, he was complementary about the book, stating it was laid out in a very easy to digest way, and made his tma submission (which he got 78% for) a lot easier than he anticipated. He was quite surprised how Euripides had written such a 'soap opera' play, when all the others seemed so political and serious.

Of all the Greek tragedies, Medea arguably has the most modern concerns. Despite its shocking conclusion - Medea's ob scene murder of her two children condoned by Helios, the Sun God - this play revolves around the refugee experience, the question of historical/mythological narrative viewpoint, and raises questions about the position of women in a phallocentric society. Harrison's translation is fluent and treats the play as a play in a modern idiom. The notes are also very useful, both to the A-Level scholar and the interested play-goer. So why not 5 stars? Despite the above, I don't feel it really moves on significantly from Vellacott's seminal 1976 translation - a little more idiomatic, but not as radical as Tom Paulin's, to which I HAVE given 5 stars. Having said that, if this is to be used for A-Level study, then the notes and activities make the Harrison the preferred version, whilst the Paulin makes for a more compelling production.

Excellent play, although short, it is very powerful, and this version is very easy to read with useful notes for each page. Particularly useful if studying it for drama/english. I bought new, so in perfect condition.

Nice cover, readable.

Very easy to understand and helped me through my Classical Civilisations GCSE.

Book for a study course

Good, thanks!

Fast delivery, perfect!!

初心者向きの『メーデイア』の英語訳と解説である。前者が右ページ、後者が左ページの見開き構成で、かなり読みやすい。訳は比較的原語に忠実で、解説も易しい英語で描かれている。解説の内容に関しては、当時のギリシア社会の慣習に関する記述があり、作品を解釈する上で非常に参考となるが、それほど詳しくは書かれていない。しかし実際劇として上演する際の演出法を初めとして、解釈する上で重要なポイントとなる点は読者に質問するかたちで、我々の考察を促すように仕組まれており、非常に能動的な書である。壷絵の写真や地図など、作品の理解を深める工夫が施されており、『メーデイア』を勉強する初心者にぴったりの良書である。ただしもう少し詳しく勉強されたい方は西洋古典文学者の個々の論文を読むことをお勧めする。

The book itself sucks but I have to read it for school and the quality is good so yeah 5

I needed this for a history class and I enjoyed it. was a short very quick read and was fairly easy to follow, with a few minor puzzling thoughts.

A brilliant translation and supporting notes are brilliant.