San Antonio College Library

Wole Soyinka has translated - in both language and spirit - a great classic of ancient Greek theater. He does so with a poet's ear for the cadences and rhythms of chorus and solo verse as well as a commanding dramatic use of the central social and religious myth. In his hands The Bacchae becomes a communal feast, a tumultuous celebration of life, and a robust ritual of the human and social psyche. "The Bacchae is the rites of an extravagant banquet,...

Ancient Greek drama is the foundation of Western civilization. At the same time, the world of the Greeks seems distant and exotic to contemporary students. This introductory guide overviews the historical, political, and cultural background of Greek drama and provides detailed discussions of ten widely studied plays: Agamemnon, The Choephoroi, The Eumenides, Antigone, Odeipus, Odeipus at Colonus, Medea, The Bacchae, The Birds, and Lysistrata. Chapters...

"Representing some of the most fruitful recent approaches to the phenomenon of Dionysus and well illustrated, this book will be essential reading for students and scholars of classical literature and ancient history, the history of ancient religion, art history, classical philology, and archaeology." -- Back cover