Easy to read & informative. Great overall history., 09 Jun 1999
One of the best things about this book is that it's current and up to date on the most recent dicoveries in ancient Greek history. It provides the reader with a clear and organized history of Greece which both the novice and student can appreciate. It also includes great original sources, which are sometimes difficult to come by, and excellent maps. This is a great review for pulling all the facts together.

Easy to read & informative. Great overall history., 09 Jun 1999
One of the best things about this book is that it's current and up to date on the most recent dicoveries in ancient Greek history. It provides the reader with a clear and organized history of Greece which both the novice and student can appreciate. It also includes great original sources, which are sometimes difficult to come by, and excellent maps. This is a great review for pulling all the facts together.

Euripides tells of the coming of the cult of Dionysus, 28 Apr 2003
"The Bacchae" was written by Euripides when he was living in Macedonia in virtual exile during the last years of his life. The tragedy was performed in Athens after his death. These factors are important in appreciate this particular Greek tragedy because such plays were performed at a festival that honored the Dionysus, and in "The Bacchae" he is the god who extracts a horrible vengeance. The tragedy clearly demonstrates the god's power, but it is a terrible power, which suggests less than flattering things about the deity himself.

Pentheus was the son of Echion and Agave, the daughter of Cadmus, the founder of the Royal House of Thebes. After Cadmus stepped down the throne, Pentheus took his place as king of Thebes. When the cult of Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus resisted the worship of the god in his kingdom. However, his mother and sisters were devotees of the god and went with women of the city to join in the Dionsysian revels on Mount Cithaeron. Pentheus had Dionysus captured, but the god drove the king insane, who then shackled a bull instead of the god. When Pentheus climbed a tree to witness in secret the reverly of the Bacchic women, he was discovered and torn to pieces by his mother and sisters, who, in their Bacchic frenzy, believed him to be a wild beast. The horrific action is described in gory detail by a messenger, which is followed by the arrival of the frenzied and bloody Agave, the head of her son fixed atop her thytsus.

Unlike those stories of classical mythology which are at least mentioned in the writings of Homer, the story of Pentheus originates with Euripides. The other references in classical writing, the "Idylls" written by the Syracusean poet Theocritus and the "Metamorphoses" of the Latin poet Ovid, both post-date"The Bacchae" by centuries. On those grounds, the tragedy of Euripides would appear to be entirely his construct, which would certainly give it an inherent uniqueness over his interpretations of the stories of "Medea," "Electra," and "The Trojan Women."

I see "The Bacchae" as being Euripides' severest indictment of religion and not as the recantation of his earlier rationalism in his old age. The dramatic conflicts of the play stem from religious issues, and without understanding the opposition on Appollonian grounds of Pentheus to the new cult readers miss the ultimate significance of the tragedy. This is not an indictment of Appollonian rationalism, but rather a dramatic argument that, essentially, it is irrational to ignore the irrational. As the fate of Pentheus amply points out, it is not only stupid to do so, it is fatal.

An excellent modern translation!, 24 Jan 2002
I used Franklin's translation of Euripides' "Bacchae" for a piece of coursework and it was fabulous. The language is modern, which especially helped to convey the anger of Pentheus.

This use of language makes the translation easily accessible to a modern audience, and it would be an ideal version to use therefore when putting on a production.

I also found it to be an excellent study aid as each page of text has a page of commentary to go with it. This gives the student helpful insights and explanations to things which perhaps might have otherwise been blurred over.

All in all, a multi purposed text!

Easy to read & informative. Great overall history., 09 Jun 1999
One of the best things about this book is that it's current and up to date on the most recent dicoveries in ancient Greek history. It provides the reader with a clear and organized history of Greece which both the novice and student can appreciate. It also includes great original sources, which are sometimes difficult to come by, and excellent maps. This is a great review for pulling all the facts together.

Euripides tells of the coming of the cult of Dionysus, 28 Apr 2003
"The Bacchae" was written by Euripides when he was living in Macedonia in virtual exile during the last years of his life. The tragedy was performed in Athens after his death. These factors are important in appreciate this particular Greek tragedy because such plays were performed at a festival that honored the Dionysus, and in "The Bacchae" he is the god who extracts a horrible vengeance. The tragedy clearly demonstrates the god's power, but it is a terrible power, which suggests less than flattering things about the deity himself.

Pentheus was the son of Echion and Agave, the daughter of Cadmus, the founder of the Royal House of Thebes. After Cadmus stepped down the throne, Pentheus took his place as king of Thebes. When the cult of Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus resisted the worship of the god in his kingdom. However, his mother and sisters were devotees of the god and went with women of the city to join in the Dionsysian revels on Mount Cithaeron. Pentheus had Dionysus captured, but the god drove the king insane, who then shackled a bull instead of the god. When Pentheus climbed a tree to witness in secret the reverly of the Bacchic women, he was discovered and torn to pieces by his mother and sisters, who, in their Bacchic frenzy, believed him to be a wild beast. The horrific action is described in gory detail by a messenger, which is followed by the arrival of the frenzied and bloody Agave, the head of her son fixed atop her thytsus.

Unlike those stories of classical mythology which are at least mentioned in the writings of Homer, the story of Pentheus originates with Euripides. The other references in classical writing, the "Idylls" written by the Syracusean poet Theocritus and the "Metamorphoses" of the Latin poet Ovid, both post-date"The Bacchae" by centuries. On those grounds, the tragedy of Euripides would appear to be entirely his construct, which would certainly give it an inherent uniqueness over his interpretations of the stories of "Medea," "Electra," and "The Trojan Women."

I see "The Bacchae" as being Euripides' severest indictment of religion and not as the recantation of his earlier rationalism in his old age. The dramatic conflicts of the play stem from religious issues, and without understanding the opposition on Appollonian grounds of Pentheus to the new cult readers miss the ultimate significance of the tragedy. This is not an indictment of Appollonian rationalism, but rather a dramatic argument that, essentially, it is irrational to ignore the irrational. As the fate of Pentheus amply points out, it is not only stupid to do so, it is fatal.

An excellent modern translation!, 24 Jan 2002
I used Franklin's translation of Euripides' "Bacchae" for a piece of coursework and it was fabulous. The language is modern, which especially helped to convey the anger of Pentheus.

This use of language makes the translation easily accessible to a modern audience, and it would be an ideal version to use therefore when putting on a production.

I also found it to be an excellent study aid as each page of text has a page of commentary to go with it. This gives the student helpful insights and explanations to things which perhaps might have otherwise been blurred over.

All in all, a multi purposed text!

A classic of its kind, 17 Oct 2003
The book is an essential starting point for anyone who seeks to explore the transformations of Greek society that gave birth to two so cognate and yet so dissimilar literary genres as epic and tragedy. Seaford is eloquent in bringing out the dialectics between literature and the outside world under the post-marxist light of social anthropology. The book is clearly written, exhaustively argued and ultimately cogent.

Easy to read & informative. Great overall history., 09 Jun 1999
One of the best things about this book is that it's current and up to date on the most recent dicoveries in ancient Greek history. It provides the reader with a clear and organized history of Greece which both the novice and student can appreciate. It also includes great original sources, which are sometimes difficult to come by, and excellent maps. This is a great review for pulling all the facts together.

Euripides tells of the coming of the cult of Dionysus, 28 Apr 2003
"The Bacchae" was written by Euripides when he was living in Macedonia in virtual exile during the last years of his life. The tragedy was performed in Athens after his death. These factors are important in appreciate this particular Greek tragedy because such plays were performed at a festival that honored the Dionysus, and in "The Bacchae" he is the god who extracts a horrible vengeance. The tragedy clearly demonstrates the god's power, but it is a terrible power, which suggests less than flattering things about the deity himself.

Pentheus was the son of Echion and Agave, the daughter of Cadmus, the founder of the Royal House of Thebes. After Cadmus stepped down the throne, Pentheus took his place as king of Thebes. When the cult of Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus resisted the worship of the god in his kingdom. However, his mother and sisters were devotees of the god and went with women of the city to join in the Dionsysian revels on Mount Cithaeron. Pentheus had Dionysus captured, but the god drove the king insane, who then shackled a bull instead of the god. When Pentheus climbed a tree to witness in secret the reverly of the Bacchic women, he was discovered and torn to pieces by his mother and sisters, who, in their Bacchic frenzy, believed him to be a wild beast. The horrific action is described in gory detail by a messenger, which is followed by the arrival of the frenzied and bloody Agave, the head of her son fixed atop her thytsus.

Unlike those stories of classical mythology which are at least mentioned in the writings of Homer, the story of Pentheus originates with Euripides. The other references in classical writing, the "Idylls" written by the Syracusean poet Theocritus and the "Metamorphoses" of the Latin poet Ovid, both post-date"The Bacchae" by centuries. On those grounds, the tragedy of Euripides would appear to be entirely his construct, which would certainly give it an inherent uniqueness over his interpretations of the stories of "Medea," "Electra," and "The Trojan Women."

I see "The Bacchae" as being Euripides' severest indictment of religion and not as the recantation of his earlier rationalism in his old age. The dramatic conflicts of the play stem from religious issues, and without understanding the opposition on Appollonian grounds of Pentheus to the new cult readers miss the ultimate significance of the tragedy. This is not an indictment of Appollonian rationalism, but rather a dramatic argument that, essentially, it is irrational to ignore the irrational. As the fate of Pentheus amply points out, it is not only stupid to do so, it is fatal.

An excellent modern translation!, 24 Jan 2002
I used Franklin's translation of Euripides' "Bacchae" for a piece of coursework and it was fabulous. The language is modern, which especially helped to convey the anger of Pentheus.

This use of language makes the translation easily accessible to a modern audience, and it would be an ideal version to use therefore when putting on a production.

I also found it to be an excellent study aid as each page of text has a page of commentary to go with it. This gives the student helpful insights and explanations to things which perhaps might have otherwise been blurred over.

All in all, a multi purposed text!

A classic of its kind, 17 Oct 2003
The book is an essential starting point for anyone who seeks to explore the transformations of Greek society that gave birth to two so cognate and yet so dissimilar literary genres as epic and tragedy. Seaford is eloquent in bringing out the dialectics between literature and the outside world under the post-marxist light of social anthropology. The book is clearly written, exhaustively argued and ultimately cogent.

Best intro to the study of holy fools, 22 Jun 2008
This book is quite simply the best introduction to the study of holy fools. It takes you from the first stories that pop up in the Eastern Mediterranean of late antiquity, gives you some philosophico-religious background, and takes you right up to the present phenomena in the Orthodox churches, as well as setting you up to find out more about parallels in other religions.

Holy fools were basically monks that hid their holiness by pretending to be mad, but the tradition of course mutates through time. Probably the most important transformation takes place between Symeon (mid 6th century) and Andrew (eighth or eleventh century?!). Here the holy fool loses a lot of monastic features, is more readily identifiable, takes disciples, and begins to speak prophetically and apocalyptically. Probably the book's main weakness is its passing over this transition in silence, and the (consequent) vague definition of what qualifies as a holy fool.

But overall, extremely well researched, with in depth knowledge of ancient theology and philosophy as well as mediaeval and modern society. It's also a good read, and that more than makes up for minor oversights as regards approach and method.