Aeschylus: Libation Bearers

by C. W. Marshall, Thomas Harrison (Editor)

Overview

Libation Bearers is the 'middle' play in the only extant tragic trilogy to survive from antiquity, Aeschylus' Oresteia, first produced in 458 BCE. This introduction to the play will be useful for anyone reading it in Greek or in translation. Drawing on his wide experience teaching about performance in the ancient world, C. W. Marshall helps readers understand how the play was experienced by its ancient audience. His discussion explores the impact of the chorus, the characters, theology, and the play's apparent affinities with comedy. The architecture of choral songs is described in detail. The book also investigates the role of revenge in Athenian society and the problematic nature of Orestes' matricide.

Libation Bearers immediately entered the Athenian visual imagination, influencing artistic depictions on red-figured vases, and inspiring plays by Euripides and Sophocles. This study looks to the later plays to show how 5th-century audiences understood Libation Bearers. Modern reception of the play is integrated into the analysis. The volume includes a full range of ancillary material, providing a list of relevant red-figure vase illustrations, a glossary of technical terms, and a chronology of ancient and modern theatrical versions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474255073
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/07/2017
Series:	Companions to Greek and Roman Tragedy
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

C. W. Marshall is Professor of Greek, Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies and Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia, Canada. His publications include The Stagecraft and Performance of Roman Comedy (2006), Classics and Comics (2011) and No Laughing Matter (Bloomsbury, 2012).

Thomas Harrison is Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews, UK. His publications include Divinity and History: the religion of Herodotus (2000), The Emptiness of Asia: Aeschylus' Persians and the history of the fifth century (2000); as editor Greeks and Barbarians (2002) and the Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome (2006).

Table of Contents

List of tables
Preface
1. Theatre and Theodicy
2. Reperformance and Recognition
3. Chorus and Characterization.
4. Matricide and Madness.
Appendix: Ancient Illustrations of Libation Bearers
Glossary of Greek terms
Guide to further reading
Selected Chronology
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Beyond performance criticism, the book is adept in a multitude of other approaches, which it interweaves effectively with its main framework, and knowledgeable in the vast scholarship on the Oresteia. Despite being a general companion, it goes the extra scholarly mile and demonstrates solid original research and great sensitivity to the Aeschylean text … [It] succeeds in offering several fresh perspectives, which is a significant achievement given that the Oresteia is one of the most trodden texts of the Greek literary corpus.” —Bryn Mawr Classical Review

“The underappreciated status of Aeschylus' Libation Bearers provides a particular challenge for the commentator. Yet Marshall has taken up this challenge with masterful skill ... [Marshall] gives a thorough overview of the play, illustrated with brilliant structural diagrams and tables useful for study ... A must-read for anyone interested in Aeschylean tragedy.” —The Classical Review

“This is an impressive publication on Greek tragedy, and Marshall is well qualified to write on this topic for this audience. A good addition to the Companions to Greek and Roman Tragedy series, for which I have the highest admiration.” —A. F. Garvie, Emeritus Professor of Greek, University of Glasgow, UK

“A detailed examination of the central play of the Oresteia, with a special focus on staging and the relationship between staging problems and the moral issues raised by the play. The book is needed and should be read.” —Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Professor of Classics, Temple University, USA

From the Publisher