Cyclops

Euripides, 480？ BCE-406 BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 38K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Cyclops by EuripidesAuthor: Euripides, 480? BCE-406 BCE,Language: Greek, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Jan 20, 2009

Editor's review

This is the only complete satyr play by Euripides to survive, drawing on the episode in the Odyssey where Odysseus encounters Polyphemus, yet重构 — no, use: yet reimagines the heroic narrative through the banter of the satyr chorus. Its value lies not in the originality of its plot but in showing what the light closing play that followed the tragic trilogy at the Athenian dramatic competitions looked like: the chorus is both a comic observer and an enslaved workforce, and behind the laughter lie questions of tyranny, slavery, and the contrast between barbarism and civilization. This edition is the electronic text of the ancient Greek original provided by Project Gutenberg, suitable as a primary text for classical philology and the study of ancient Greek drama, and also for readers familiar with Greek who wish to experience the linguistic rhythms of satyr drama. Readers should have a dictionary and a commentary at hand and bear in mind that this is a rare complete text outside the fragmentary tradition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of ancient Greek who need the complete original text of a satyr play as course material
Classics readers studying Euripides and the institution of the Athenian dramatic competitions
Enthusiasts familiar with Greek myth who want to see how the Odyssey material was adapted for the stage

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no ancient Greek who need a modern translation or commentary
Casual readers looking only for light mythological storytelling and not planning to work through the text line by line with a dictionary

Reading tips

First read the relevant passage in Book 9 of Homer's Odyssey, then compare this play to see what plot material was kept or cut and how the characters were changed.
Have an ancient Greek dictionary and a critical edition at hand, and read closely section by section (parodos, entrance of Odysseus, blinding, exodos).
Note the stylistic differences between the satyr chorus and the main characters' speeches to appreciate how tragedy and satyr play differ in meter and diction.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this edition of Cyclops include a modern translation or commentary?

No. According to the provided information, this is the electronic text of the ancient Greek original released by Project Gutenberg, a classical text in the Language and Literature category, without a modern translation or scholarly commentary. Readers need their own dictionary, grammar, or a separately consulted annotated edition.

What is the relationship between satyr play and tragedy?

A satyr play was the fourth, shorter play performed after a tragic trilogy at ancient Greek dramatic competitions. Its subjects were usually drawn from myth, and its chorus consisted of satyrs, half-goat figures, in a comic and boisterous style. This play is the only complete satyr play by Euripides to survive, and it offers a way to understand what this genre looked like.

Can I read this book without knowing Greek?

Not realistically. The entire book is in ancient Greek with no translation to assist, and without basic grammar and vocabulary it would be very hard to get through. It is advisable first to read a modern translation to understand the content and then return to the original for comparison; if you only want the story, you can read Book 9 of the Odyssey directly.

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About the author

Euripides, 480？ BCE-406 BCE Author

Euripides (c. 480–406 BCE) was one of the three great tragedians of ancient Greece, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. Public information about his life is limited; what later ages know comes largely from scattered records and traditions and cannot be reliably confirmed. The library holds 20 of his works, including The Trojan Women, The Bacchae, Hippolytus, Medea, Orestes, and Iphigeneia at Aulis. Drawing on myth and heroic legend, his tragedies often center on the emotions and situations of ordinary people and raise pointed questions about war, gender, religion, and human nature, while employing reversal and the deus ex machina in their structure. His works exerted a lasting influence from late antiquity to modern times and have provided enduring themes for Western drama and intellectual history.