BMCR 2009.04.61: Lewis on Shapiro, Euripides: Trojan Women. Greek Tragedy in New Translations

Alan Shapiro (trans.), Euripides: Trojan Women. Greek Tragedy in New
Translations.  New York/Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2008.  Pp.
113.  ISBN 9780195179101.  $12.95 (pb).

Reviewed by Maxine Lewis, University of Sydney
([email protected])
Word count:  1993 words
-------------------------------
To read a print-formatted version of this review, see
http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2009/2009-04-61.html
To comment on this review, see
http://www.bmcreview.org/2009/04/20090461.html
-------------------------------

The new translation of Euripides' Trojan Women by Alan Shapiro, with
Introduction and Notes by Peter Burian, aims to provides a poetic
version of the text. The volume includes an Introduction set out in
useful sections (pp.3-25) with a note on the translation by Shapiro
(pp.27-8), the translation itself (pp.30-78), detailed notes to the
text (pp.79-103), a glossary of names and places (pp.105-11) and a list
of further readings (p.113). Although this reviewer has some minor
criticisms, overall the publication is an important contribution to the
field. Trojan Women has been translated very recently, in 2005 by
Diskin Clay,[[1]] and in 1999 by David Kovacs.[[2]] Both of those
editions contain good translations, ample bibliography and scholarly
notes - Clay's work in particular goes into some depth. However,
neither work provides a consistently poetic translation, and this
volume fills that gap.

As such, this edition will be useful for students of drama in general
and Attic tragedy in particular, as it conveys the power of Euripides'
images. It will also benefit a second, equally important group of
readers: would-be producers of an ancient play that has been frequently
performed for modern audiences. Shapiro's poetic translation works not
just as a rendering of Greek, but as a good, at times gripping,
English-language script. By translating Euripides' text into blank
verse, Shapiro makes his version performable. He creates a variety of
rhythms within his lines that simulates the effect created by
Euripides' numerous ancient metres. Burian's Introduction complements
the performative aspect of Shapiro's work. In the long section, What's
Hecuba to Us?, Burian presents a sequential analysis of the play that
focuses on staging, movement and gesture. This brings the play to life
for all readers, but will be particularly thought-provoking for those
of a theatrical bent.

Burian's introduction will be of use to students, though they should
also consult Clay's comprehensive Introduction for information on
historical and technical matters. Burian aptly begins with a section on
Context, focusing on Athenian politics. He writes clearly but still
provides a nuanced discussion of important issues. This will assist the
reader who is new to the questions of whether Athenian imperialism
penetrated tragedy, and how much tragedy provided a site for cultural
resistance. Burian provides footnotes that direct the reader to
relevant scholarship on controversial issues. These will allow the
interested student to pursue important matters, such as the possible
connection between this play and the destruction of Melos, which Burian
discusses in fn.9.

After making a strong case that Trojan Women to some degree reflects
Euripides' cultural and political context, Burian moves onto the thorny
issue of whether Trojan Women was part of a trilogy. Burian explains
how the fragmentary plays Alexander and Palamedes fit with Trojan Women
to provide "an interconnected set of Trojan tragedies" (p.7). He gives
his own interpretation of possible links between the plays but also
directs readers to the fragments (n.14) and selected relevant
scholarship (n.15). On the Alexander in particular, Burian gives a
clear explanation of the state of the material evidence, and a
reconstruction of the play which will benefit students.

Burian's final and longest section, What's Hecuba to Us?, tries to
unpick the significance of movement and gesture in a sequential reading
of the play, to counter Aristotle's argument in the Poetics that
tragedy can be read rather than seen. Burian's point is valid, but this
part of the Introduction is at times overly descriptive. The
contextualisation of tragedy in terms of Aristotle's reception of the
genre does work well, giving the reader a useful example of ancient
reception. Burian's analysis of Hecuba's behaviour, and how movement is
intrinsic to the script and adds to her pathos, also provides the
reader with important insights into her character. However, other
sections, such those as on Cassandra, Andromache and Talthybius,
provide description without much analytical depth. In this part of the
essay Burian seems somewhat hampered by a decision to restrict himself
to the action inside the text, where connecting the action with outside
context might have enriched his essay. One example is his examination
of Cassandra's role in the play on p.16. Burian's treatment is fairly
descriptive, and he does not discuss the contemporary political
significance of Cassandra's anti-war argument. This omission is
unfortunate, as in his section on Context (p.3-7), he made the case
that Trojan Women reflected contemporary political concerns. When
examining Cassandra's speech Burian could have supported his earlier
case, while providing students new to the text with a useful handle on
a speech that would have been incendiary in its original performance
context. However, despite the omission of some important material,
overall the Introduction as it stands provides a good overview of some
significant issues arising from the drama.

Shapiro's note On the Translation follows, in which he says that he
worked from Shirley Barlow's prose version. At this point Shapiro could
have aided the student by pointing out and explaining the discrepancy
between the numbering of his own lines and the line numbers of the
Greek, given at the top of each page in brackets. Despite working from
a translation, Shapiro's version is notable for its closeness to the
Greek at many points, and Burian's notes further tie the English to the
original text. On occasion, Shapiro's closeness to the original extends
as far as replicating wordplays while maintaining rhythm, an important
and noteworthy achievement. For instance, Hecuba's description of
Odysseus as a man who


twists everything
to nothing, twists
love to hate,
and hate to love

at Shapiro's lines 314-7 transforms Euripides' concise line 288 into
even more compact English, so that the heroine almost spits the
monosyllables out. Another example of excellent translating on a
word-for-word level can be found in Shapiro's lines 1149-50. Here the
Greek etymological play on Aphrodite's name in Euripides' line 990
<greek>tou)/nom' o)rqw=s a)frosu/nhs a)/rxei qea=s</greek> seamlessly
becomes Hecuba's scathing


It's no coincidence that "witless" rhymes
With Cypris.

Beyond the power of individual lines, certain longer sections of
Shapiro's translation stand out for capturing the essence of Euripides'
original in genuinely poetic form. When she comes onstage, Hecuba gives
a powerful lament at Shapiro's lines 109-171. Shapiro recreates
Euripides' complex nautical imagery, as Hecuba both talks about the
actual boats that brought the war to Troy and envisions herself as a
ship buffeted on the waves. Shapiro's repeated imperatives as Hecuba
tells herself to "lift," "look," "bear" and "sail", capture the
insistent strength of Hecuba's directives to herself in the original,
<greek>e)pa/eire</greek> (99), <greek>a)/nsxou</greek> (101) and
<greek>plei=</greek> (102). As the Greek passage continues Euripides
creates a dual meaning through <greek>toi/xous</greek> (118), sides of
a ship here used to used to represent Hecuba's own flanks. Euripides'
powerful metaphor of woman as ship reinforces Hecuba's passivity and
helplessness. In her commentary, Barlow discusses the complexity of the
language in these lines and says "the metaphor...is almost impossible
to render in English adequately".[[3]] Shapiro uses a creative image of
Hecuba's heaving sides as a "spine-keel" at lines 135-6. This unusual
English wordplay captures the dual meaning inherent in the Greek,
making explicit the latent nautical wordplay in the original. Shapiro's
success in expressing the Greek metaphor is evidence of his skill as a
poet. Further, if I am reading Shapiro's blank verse as he intended,
then here he makes excellent use of punctuation for poetic effect, to
create a rhythm that reflects the content of the lines and the
speaker's character. The off-beat pauses in Hecuba's lines 119-20


Sail as you do, and have, and will
On the winds of chance. AIAI. AIAI.

create a breathless rhythm similar to that of the original's anapestic
beat.

Other noteworthy passages in Shapiro's translation are: the duet
between Hecuba and Andromache, which uses split lines and raises the
tension to fever-pitch, Andromache's lament for Astyanax, and the
Chorus' apostrophe to Ganymede. These are particularly high points in a
good translation.

Occasionally Shapiro is free with Barlow's reading of the Greek in her
dual language edition. Generally his alterations allow the translation
to work as a script. One example of this is when he changes the subject
of the verb <greek>e)/paqen</greek> from Ajax to the Greeks, in his
line 81 of the Prologue (line 71 in the Greek). This creates a good
flow in the dialogue, and does not compromise the sense of the
original. I question an alteration from the Greek in one place though,
where it seems to me to significantly alter the substance of the text.
At Shapiro's lines 462-3, Cassandra makes the politically charged case,
that wars in general ought be avoided but at least a war at home can be
fought nobly. This is line 400 in Diggle's edition, <greek>feu/gein
me\n ou)=n xrh\ po/lemon o(/stis eu)= fronei=</greek>. Shapiro
translates this as


All sane men think
A war of choice is madness for a city.

The insertion of "choice" into the English translation here alters the
meaning of Cassandra's argument.

Generally Burian's notes are helpful. Where applicable, he gives
references to literary and mythological precedents to explain
references made by the characters. These will be particularly useful
for students new to study of the classical world. Throughout the notes,
Burian points out recurring echoes and motifs that unify the play, such
as the concept of what "just one woman" can or cannot accomplish, which
applies to both Andromache and Helen in very different ways.

The best aspect of Burian's notes is the careful elucidation of ancient
Greek throughout. This may well whet the appetites of those students
coming to the text without knowledge of the language, another important
achievement of this translation. The notes suggest a profitable
collaboration between Burian and Shapiro in the writing of this
translation, though unfortunately the process is not addressed in the
Introduction. At Shapiro line 1031 the translator puns on Helen with
"She's Hell". Burian explains that this is inspired by the Greek text
with its <greek>e(lei=</greek> from <greek>ai(re/w</greek>, and gives
further examples of literary punning on Helen's name. Similarly, notes
on Cassandra point out a peculiarity of the Greek, that Euripides
describes Cassandra's prophetic "madness" in Dionysian terms (p.83,
p.86). This conflation of Dionysian madness with Apolline prophecy is
almost impossible to express in English, so Burian's notes are crucial
for the student to fully understand how Euripides characterises
Cassandra.

The glossary provides important information for students. Burian
concisely describes ancient geography and documents many relevant
stories from Greek mythology. One minor mistake may lead to confusion
for students, though; in the entry for Achilles Burian has Achilles'
"killing by Hector" rather than "killing of".

In general, the volume has been well proofed. Exceptions: Palamedes on
p.10 should be italicised, being the play not the character; in the
Introduction n.27 refers to the sentence prior to the one that the
superscript number is appended to; in the notes Shapiro's lines 262-92
have incorrect corresponding Greek line numbers; and in the glossary
entry for Chronos, "Zeus,." has a superfluous full-stop.

Certain information could have been added to this good volume to make
it an even better edition. The Introduction could have included deeper
consideration of the gendered aspects of Trojan Women. Information on
women in Athenian social contexts, or women in myth, or women in
tragedy, would have been useful both for students and prospective
producers of the play. Basic information on Greek metrics should have
been supplied, as Burian names particular metres and analyses their
dramatic effects. A more in-depth and transparent account of how the
translation process involved Barlow's translation and possibly
collaboration between Shapiro and Burian, would have made this version
more scholarly. Lastly the suggested Further Reading list (p.113) is
very brief, containing only six items. As Kovacs and Clay have both
recently published editions including substantial bibliography, Burian
and Shapiro's brevity is perhaps understandable. However these two
recent editions are not given in Burian and Shapiro's list as
resources.

Generally though, the volume as it stands undoubtedly achieves its
primary aim. It produces that all-too-rare thing: a poetic translation
of poetry.

------------------
Notes:


1.   Diskin Clay (ed.), Euripides The Trojan Women. Newburyport MA,
Focus Classical Library, 2005.

2.   David Kovacs (ed.), Euripides: Trojan Women, Iphigenia among the
Taurians, Ion. Loeb Classical Library 10. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 1999.

3.   Shirley Barlow (ed.), Euripides: Trojan Women Warminster,
Wiltshire, Aris and Phillips Ltd., 1986. p.163.


-------------------------------
The BMCR website (http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu) contains a complete and
searchable archive of BMCR reviews since our first issue in 1990.

Please do not reply to this email as this is an unmonitored mailbox.
You can contact us by sending e-mail to [email protected]. To
subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, visit
http://newmailman.brynmawr.edu/mailman/listinfo/bmcr-l. To unsubscribe,
you may also send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with
the word Unsubscribe in the subject line.

_______________________________________________
BMCR-L mailing list
[email protected]
http://newmailman.brynmawr.edu/mailman/listinfo/bmcr-l