Good translation of Aristophanes?

[Laura Corin]

And which of the plays is most accessible? It's over twenty years since I read them and Calvin is interested.

Thank you

Laura

[Jane in NC]

We used Hadas because the book was sitting on our shelf, but this translation is slammed on Amazon as being stilted. Some parents might want to give the newer translations a pre-read since sensibilities may be offended. (Not including you in that group, Laura!) By the way, we didn't find Hadas to be stilted at all.

[Laura Corin]

(Not including you in that group, Laura!)

Calvin informed me that he wanted to start with Lysistrata. Okay......

Thanks for the translation information.

Laura

[Eliana]

Arrowsmith's translations are my favorites here's one collection (http://www.amazon.com/Three-Comedies-Ann-Arbor-Paperbacks/dp/0472061534/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243887993&sr=1-10) and another (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Comedies-Ann-Arbor-Paperbacks/dp/0472061526/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243887977&sr=1-24). (Note: the Frogs translation is by Lattimore & two translations are by Parker)

It's been a while, but I think the play I would choose would be The Frogs.

My second choice would probably be The Birds - though the historical connections for The Clouds might be appealing, especially for a student who has done Plato's Apology.

Personally, I would not do Lysistrata with a high school student - Aristophanes uses a lot of crude humor in general, but the explicit obscenities in Lysistrata went, as I recall, far beyond any of the other plays I've read. fwiw & ymmv. :) ...but if you do, I'd recommend the Arrowsmith translation (in the second volume linked above)

[Kareni]

And if you do choose to do The Frogs, you might see if you can obtain a copy of the Sondheim musical which my daughter really enjoys!

See The Frogs and Evening Primrose (2001 Studio Cast) (http://www.amazon.com/Frogs-Evening-Primrose-2001-Studio/dp/B00005OM6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1243890808&sr=1-1)

Regards,
Kareni

[Jane in NC]

And if you do choose to do The Frogs, you might see if you can obtain a copy of the Sondheim musical which my daughter really enjoys!

See The Frogs and Evening Primrose (2001 Studio Cast) (http://www.amazon.com/Frogs-Evening-Primrose-2001-Studio/dp/B00005OM6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1243890808&sr=1-1)

Regards,
Kareni

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! My son made a stop motion animation to go along with one of the tunes from the show. What fun!!

[Kareni]

The Frogs and Evening Primrose (2001 Studio Cast)

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! My son made a stop motion animation to go along with one of the tunes from the show. What fun!!

Wow, that does sound like fun! Which tune was it?

Regards,
Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Wow, that does sound like fun! Which tune was it?

Regards,
Kareni

I Love to Travel. And it was fun!

[Kareni]

Wow, that does sound like fun! Which tune was it?

I Love to Travel. And it was fun!

Well, now I'm going to have to listen to the CD to refresh my memory. Thanks for sharing.

Regards,
Kareni

[MomsintheGarden]

We just used the very cheap, slim volumes from Dover - the thrift editions for the Greek plays. We read The Birds and found it very accessible.

My dc and I liked the Dover books because they were very lightweight and had no commentary, which we find annoying. I didn't mind the price, either, as I buy three copies of everything so we can all read at the same time.

HTH,
GardenMom

[Dee in MI]

I've been waiting for someone else to emphasize this, but pre-read first. Lysistrata is crude. It's kind of a warped view of sex and the relationship between the sexes for such a young mind.

Dee

[Laura Corin]

Thanks - I saw it on stage, but it was many years ago.

Laura