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Product Description
Product Description
An adaptation by the Poet Laureate of Racine's play of the same name. Phedre burns with passion for Hippolytus, her stepson. His father, Theseus, is made to believe that it is Hippolytus who is lusting after Phedre, and begs Neptune to kill his son, which he does before discovering the truth.
About the Author
Ted Hughes (1930-1998) was born in Yorkshire. His first book, The Hawk in the Rain, was published in 1957 by Faber and Faber and was followed by many volumes of poetry and prose for adults and children. He received the Whitbread Book of the Year for two consecutive years for his last published collections of poetry, Tales from Ovid (1997) and Birthday Letters (1998). He was Poet Laureate from 1984, and in 1998 he was appointed to the Order of Merit.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read the book before seeing the play,
By
This review is from: Phedre: A Version of Racine (Faber plays) (Paperback)
I had the great good fortune to see this version performed at Epidauros. Wanting to get the best out of it I read the book first and it greatly enhanced my enjoyment. It is not heavy going, but there is a lot to take in.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hughes translation of Phedre a triumph,
By Kirk Falconer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Phedre (Paperback)
Racine, and neo-classic French tragedy in general, have a pretty limited following, particularly in translation, and this is an enormous pity. Readers have difficulty accepting the strict forms of the genre and, sadly, miss the exquisite dramatic poetry that, in my judgement, stands at the same level of achievement as the best of the ancients, Shakespeare, and other masters of tragic art. As George Steiner has argued, this becomes recognizable when one accepts Racine's forms on their own terms, since "The the total action of a neo-classic play occurs inside the language".
Hughes' wonderful translation of Phedre does justice to Racine's language, and should go some distance to exposing the glories of this work to new generations of English readers and audiences. The style is spare, urgent, evocative, and also conveys the necessary restraint that was characteristic of Racine, and made his treatment of tragic events all the more powerful. Of course, we no longer have Hughes to do comparable justice to Andromaque, Berenice, Iphigenie and Racine's other masterworks. But other strong English translations are out there. Hopefully, exposure to Hughes' rendering of Phedre, important in itself, will increase readership and performance (and further translations) of the others. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Romance,
By Amaranth "music fan" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Phedre (Paperback)
"Phedre: A Play" is a taut, terrific translation of Jean Racine's neo-classical tragedy based on Euripides' Euripides' Hippolytus (Focus Classical Library) In the Greek original, uptight, prudish Hippolytus' repression is personally punished by Aphrodite herself. Racine, however, changed it with his Christian/Jansenist sensibilities. The main focus is the guilt-ridden Phaedra, who longs for her stepson Hippolytus. Hippolytus, in turn, longs for the captive Aricia, who is forbidden from marrying. It's a complicated love triangle mixed with political intrigue and sexual repression. It's a god-haunted world where Theseus can call on Neptune to destroy his son, and Phaedra feels that she cannot escape her father, Minos, the judge in the underworld.
Poet laureate Ted Hughes, who himself experienced tremendous personal tragedy Sylvia, brings this French tragedy to poetic life. He brings the passion and power to life. It doesn't fit the French original verse-by-verse, but he still does it justice. Despite the formalities and conventions of French neo-classical tragedy, he gives it Greek fire. "Phedre" is a true classic. 4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Intensly Taut Passion Play,
By Eric K. Gale "Eric Kahn Gale" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Phedre (Paperback)
It is not possible to read Ted Hughes' Phedre casually. I am currently rehearsing to perform the play and I find that if I ever try to just read it sitting down, I get cramps in my neck. The play is that intense. Like a flexed muscle, every moment of Phedre is taut with raw power. The play is extremely challenging to perform, but I think that any actor or audience member will find the catharsis enormous. Even those most wary of the "classics" will be sent reeling from Phedre.
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