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Aristophanes: Lysistrata, The Women's Festival, and Frogs. Translated and with Theatrical Commentaries by Michael Ewans. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2011; pp. 352.
Aristophanes: Acharnians, Knights, and Peace. Translated and with Theatrical Commentaries by Michael Ewans. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012; pp. 304.
From practical questions about staging to the lack of context for topical humor, the ancient comedies of the Greek playwright Aristophanes present major challenges to theatre artists and students alike. Michael Ewans addresses many of these issues in his two volumes of new translations with critical notes. Ewans successfully combines scholarly research with his personal experience as a teacher and director of Aristophanes' plays to provide a comprehensive guide for the study and performance of Aristophanic comedy.
Each volume begins with an introduction that provides general information on the nature of the festivals during which ancient Greek drama was performed, and a brief discussion of the fundamental characteristics of Aristophanes' comedic style. This basic knowledge, necessarily conveyed almost verbatim in both volumes, segues to specific details relevant to the plays in the individual books. The introduction to the first volume contains sections on politics, women, and the tragic playwright Euripides that provide a foundation for the included translations: Lysistrata, The Women's Festival, and Frogs. Likewise, the introduction to the second volume includes a segment on Aristophanes' view of the political scene in Athens, which specifically pertains to issues addressed in Acharnians, Knights, and Peace.
Ending the introductions on a utilitarian note, Ewans discusses his process of translation, as well as the often neglected yet immensely important topic of the performance conventions and staging of ancient comedy. These sections provide essential information for reading the translations and understanding the following commentaries. Ewans considers issues such as translating dialects, names with symbolic meaning, and allusions that often escape modern audiences. Using examples from the plays, Ewans explains strong and...