Commissioned to mark the centenary of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2004, The Burial at Thebes is Seamus Heaney's new verse translation of Sophocles' great tragedy, Antigone - whose eponymous heroine is one of the most sharply individualized and compelling figures in western drama. Faithful to the 'local row' and to the fierce specificity of the play's time and place, The Burial at Thebes honours the separate and irreconcilable claims of its opposed voices, as they enact the ancient but perennial conflict between family and state in a time of crisis, pitching the morality of private allegiance against that of public service. Above all, The Burial at Thebes honours the sovereign urgency and grandeur of Heaney's Sophoclean original, in which language speaks truth to power, then and now.
The Burial at Thebes: Sophocles' Antigone
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Commissioned to mark the centenary of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2004, ‘The Burial at Thebes' is Seamus Heaney's new verse translation of Sophocles' great tragedy, ‘Antigone' - whose eponymous heroine is one of the most sharply individualized and compelling figures in western drama. Faithful to the 'local row' and to the fierce specificity of the play's time and place, ‘The Burial at Thebes' honours the separate and irreconcilable claims of its opposed voices, as they enact the ancient but perennial conflict between family and state in a time of crisis, pitching the morality of private allegiance against that of public service. Above all, ‘The Burial at Thebes' honours the sovereign urgency and grandeur of Heaney's Sophoclean original, in which language speaks truth to power, then and now.
About the Author
Seamus Heaney was born in County Derry in Northern Ireland. Death of a Naturalist, his first collection of poems, appeared in 1966 and since then he has published poetry, criticism and translations – including Beowulf (1999) – which have established him as one of the leading poets now at work. In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. District and Circle (2006), his eleventh collection, was awarded the T. S. Eliot Prize. Stepping Stones, a book of interviews conducted by Dennis O’Driscoll, appeared in 2008. In 2009 he received the David Cohen Prize for Literature.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Amy Connolly
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Heaney's version is easy to read and understand. A truly terrific tale of tragedy, heartbreak, and honour. I really enjoyed reading and studying this play and would recommend it to anyone looking for a moving play to read. It's short and quick and one i'll be rereading.
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By deadbeat
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
Following a battle for supremacy, Eteocles and Polyneices, the two sons of Oedipus, kill each other, leaving Creon, the brother-in-law to Oedipus, as ruler of Thebes. Since Polyneices lead the attacking force against Thebes, Creon labelled him a traitor and denied him any funeral rites. Anyone who countermanded this law would do so on pain of death.
This is the backdrop to The Burial at Thebes, formerly know as Antigone, the last play in the Oedipus trilogy by Sophocles.
It is a play of desperate and wrenching simplicity. The eponymous Antigone, sister of Polyneices, is faced with a choice: to choose between obeying the dictates of family love, in giving burial to her slaughtered brother, or to obey the laws of the state, as represented by King Creon. Her choice is made without hesitation, to honour the dead and defy the state. This is done at a terrible cost. She not only relinquished her own life but also her betrothed's, Haemon son of Creon, who fell on his own sword when he saw her dead. Following Haemon's death, Creon's wife, Euripides, takes up Creon's sword and after cursing her husband kills herself. Creon ends the play a broken man. His pride, his stubbornness in refusing to rescind the death penalty, ultimately cost him his wife and only son.
Many elements of the play lend themselves to modern times and dilemmas, but unlike some other translators, Heaney has the sense to trust in the original, and adds little in the way of anxiously contemporary signposting. He keeps the lines taut and clear, making the effect of this play all the more powerful. Antigone contains some choruses which are among the most famous in all Greek tragedy, and Heaney gives a very impressive account of these, adding a kind of dark burnish to the verbal atmosphere of his translation.
If you are an admirer of Greek tragedy I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. Also, if you enjoyed Heaney's Beowulf, you will like this too. It is another great reinvention of a classic.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Conor Murphy
Format:Paperback
A great translation of classic literature from a poet who himself will be considered as a classic writer.
The play itself is well known, but this translation manages to keep the classic language, and add a modern undertone. This tone never intrudes on the work, but enhances its constant rrelevance.
The play itself is well known, but this translation manages to keep the classic language, and add a modern undertone. This tone never intrudes on the work, but enhances its constant rrelevance.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
The burial is now long buried.
I only bought this for a study course and will not be reading it again for fun! not my cup of tea!
Published 22 days ago by jp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
I liked this product as it is a good read and an essential part of my university degree. Great Value
Published 1 month ago by Mark Boyd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable!
Not a book I would normally choose but it is the recommended book for my degree course, thus explaining my headline.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. L. Evans
3.0 out of 5 stars
requirement
I purchased this as part of my degree course, not too much to say about it, arrived on time in perfect condition, however this is such a slim book I can't help feeling a little... Read more
Published 2 months ago by jemma
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmm
Good, accessible but missing something. I've enjoyed Heaney's updating of other classics but this leaves out some essentials like the rawness of Antigone; and when Cleon doubts it... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christian Halpin
4.0 out of 5 stars
excited to read
havent actually read this yet.
am quite excited to read it though, i do enjoy things like this. even though iv bought it for my uni course
am quite excited to read it though, i do enjoy things like this. even though iv bought it for my uni course
Published 5 months ago by X_Hannah_X
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sophocles with an Irish lilt
I love Seamus Heaney's translation, the hint of lilt may not appeal to everyone but I found it added rather than detracted from the dynamic of Sophocles 'Antigone'. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Aseret
5.0 out of 5 stars
A modern masterpiece
This is a fantastic translation of an amazing text. Written with faith to the original, but adding that Irish idiom and turn of phrase Heaney is so noted for, this is a great... Read more
Published 6 months ago by teaqueen
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Burial at Thebes - Kindle download
Very fast download. Some issues though with the way the book is laid out in Kindle - the sentences, paragraphs are disjointed, probably due to the original document. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Stephen M. Lock
3.0 out of 5 stars
Had to return this book - cover on backwards and inverted!
This is an OU set book, and Amazon's price is quite reasonable.
I wouldn't have chosen Sophocles as light reading, but the translation is excellent, and I enjoyed... Read more
I wouldn't have chosen Sophocles as light reading, but the translation is excellent, and I enjoyed... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ecclesiast
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