Euripides’ Bacchae is the magnum opus of the ancient world’s most popular dramatist. Yet the play is the most modern, perhaps postmodern, of ancient plays. Twentieth-century poets and playwrights often turned their hand toBacchae, leaving the play with an especially rich and varied translation history. It has also been subjected to several fashions of criticism and interpretation over the years, all reflected in, influencing, and influenced by translation. This book examines a selection of English translations from the early 20th century to the early 21st and sets them in their scholarly context.
Simon Perris presents a fascinating cultural history of one of world theatre’s landmark classics. He explores the reception of the classical ideal in a violent and turmoil-ridden era. He illustrates the enduring appeal of Dionysus andBacchae in a secular milieu. And he demonstrates by example that translation matters, or should matter, to readers, actors, directors, students, and scholars of ancient drama.
