A Commentary on The Complete Greek Tragedies - Aeschylus

For anyone who reads the Greek Tragedies in English - students and scholars of literature or the theatre and the wide audience of those who love the poetic intensity of these ancient dramas - this commentary provides rich introduction and useful guide to the seven surviving plays attributed to Aeschylus: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, The Suppliant Maidens, The Persians, The Seven Against Thebes, and Prometheus Bound. Though it may profitably be used with any translation of Aeschylus, the commentary is based on the acclaimed Chicago translations, The Complete Greek Tragedies, edited by David Grene and Richmond Lattimore.

Classical scholar James C. Hogan provides a general introduction to  Aeschylean theatre and drama, followed by a line-by-line commentary on each of the seven plays. He draws on a vast range of scholarship and criticism to give modern readers the most accurate picture possible of what ancient audiences saw and understood in the spectacle of Greek tragedy. Hogan places Aeschylus in the historical, cultural, and religious context of fifth century Athens, showing how the action and metaphor of Aeschylean theatre can be illuminated by information on Athenian law, athletic contests, relations with neighbouring states, beliefs about the underworld, demons, omens, and divination, and countless other details of Hellenic life. He clarifies terms that might puzzle modern readers, such as place names and mythological references, and gives special attention to textual and linguistic issues: controversial questions and interpretation; difficult or significant Greek words; use of style, rhetoric, and commonplaces in Greek poetry; and Aeschylus's place in the poetic tradition of Homer, Hesiod, and the elegiac poets.

Practical information on staging and production is also included, as the author has kept in mind the need of modern readers to visualise the drama in order to understand the text. Though little is known about Greek choreography and music, Hogan stresses their central role and provides notes on entrances and exits, the use of extras, costuming, tableaux, masks, the use of stage, the interaction of chorus and actors, tone, gesture, style of acting, and spectacle. This volume also features maps and illustrations, a bibliography, a comprehensive index, and extensive cross-references between the seven plays.