Rewriting the Greeks: The Translations, Adaptations, Distant Relatives and Productions of ...

403 Pages·2010·6.74 MB·English

Rewriting the Greeks:
The Translations, Adaptations, Distant Relatives and Productions of
Aeschylus’ Tragedies in the United States of America from 1900 to 2009.

Dissertation

Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By

Bethany Rose Banister Rainsberg, M.A.

Graduate Program in Theatre

The Ohio State University

2010

Dissertation Committee:

Dr. Stratos E. Constantinidis, Advisor

Dr. Bruce Heiden

Dr. Joy Reilly

Dr. Anthony Hill
Copyright by
Bethany Rose Banister Rainsberg
2010
Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the practices of rewriting Aeschylus’
tragedies for American audiences and the manner in which these rewrites are “read” by
stage directors who adapt them in their academic and non-academic theatre productions
in the United States. In order to analyze the translation and performance practices of
Aeschylus’ plays, this study will examine all English language translations, adaptations,
and distant relatives of Aeschylus’ works for the twenty and twenty-first centuries and
analyze key moments that connect and illuminate those works. The two central questions
that drive this investigation are: (1) what kind of choices have the English-speaking
translators made regarding the tragedies of Aeschylus, and (2) how have Aeschylus’
tragedies been rewritten by the practitioners of the American stage?
Because of the proliferation and variance of Aeschylean translations into English,
and research published to-date, an examination of these practices and texts provides a
rich source for analyzing the larger issues of practice and critical evaluation of translation
and performance. The seven tragedies of Aeschylus (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers,
Eumenides, Prometheus Bound, Persians, Suppliants, and Seven Against Thebes) and the
manner in which they plays have been interpreted by translators and producers from 1900
to 2009 will provide the data for this study.

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Dedication
Dedicated to my husband, Clayton Rainsberg, and my two month son, James Banister
Rainsberg who gave me all of the support, love, and dirty diapers I needed to complete
this project.

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Acknowledgments
I am forever thankful for the tireless efforts of my dissertation advisor, Dr. Stratos E.
Constantinidis. His intense edits and insight greatly enhanced the research and writing of
this project. His guidance and direction was invaluable. I am also very grateful for the
energy and attention given by my dissertation committee, Dr. Bruce Heiden, Dr. Joy
Reilly, and Dr. Anthony Hill. Their challenging questions and observations greatly
improved the critical nature of this study. I would also like to thank The Ohio State
University’s Department of Theatre for providing the academic resources, funding, and
faculty supervision that made this dissertation possible. Finally, I would like to thank and
acknowledge the help given by The Ohio State University’s Theatre Research Institute,
the many academic directors who spoke with me about their productions of the Classical
Greek plays, and J. Michael Walton’s critical insight in the beginning phases of this
research.

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Vita
May 1998.....................................................High School Diploma, Fannindel High School
2001..............................................................B.A. Theatre, Harding University
2003 to 2004……………………………..Theatre Arts and Debate Teacher, Canton High
School
2004..............................................................M.A. Theatre, Texas A&M University-
Commerce
2004 to 2006……………………………..Instructor of Theatre, Ad Interim, Texas A&M
University-Commerce
2006 to 2008.................................................University Fellowship, Department of
Theatre, The Ohio State University
2007 to present.............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of
Theatre, The Ohio State University

Fields of Study

Major Field: Theatre

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Table of Contents
Abstract..............................................................................................................................ii
Dedication.........................................................................................................................iii
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................iv
Vita ...................................................................................................................................v
List of Figures..................................................................................................................vii
List of Charts. ................................................................................................................viii
List of Lists..………………….........................................................................................ix
Introduction……………………………………………………………………...…….....1
Chapter 1: Is This a Translation?.................................................................................... 20
Chapter 2: The Seven Tragedies by Aeschylus and Their 20th Century Reception.........39
Chapter 3: Aeschylus Published………………………………………………..……….66
Chapter 4: Aeschylus Staged ……………………………………………..………...…181
Chapter 5: Trashing the Translations ………….…………………………………..….244
Bibliography...................................................................................................................264
Appendix A: The Tragedies of Aeschylus in Translation, Adaptation, and Distant
Relatives (1900 to 2009)………… ………………………………………………...….279
Appendix B: Academic Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900 to 2009)..............290
Appendix C: Non-Academic Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900 to 2009)......359
Appendix D: Questionnaire About the Staged Reading of Aeschylus’ PERSIA(cid:30)S at the
The Ohio State University...............................................................................................386

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List of Figures
Figure 1. Primary Categories of Rewriting........................................................................25
Figure 2a. Bates College’s Agamemnon, 1922 (translator unknown)………………….210
Figure 2b. J.W. Waterhouse “Psyche Opening the Door into Cupid’s Garden” (1904)..210
Figure 2c. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, “Under the Roof of Blue Ionian Weather”
(Detail, 1901)...................................................................................................................211
Figure 3. State University of New York at Stony Brook’s Clytemnestra (1990)............212
Figure 4. Baylor University’s The Oresteia (2002).........................................................213
Figure 5. Wabash College’s Agamemnon (1981)………………………………………214
Figure 6. Coffeyville Community College’s Oresteia (2002)……………………….…215
Figure 7. California Institute of the Arts’ Agamemnon (2000).......................................217
Figure 8. University of Utah’s Oresteia (1999)……………………………………...…218
Figure 9. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania’s Oresteia (unknown date).................221
Figure 10. University of Utah’s Agamemnon, directed by Sarah Shippobotham
(2004)…………………………………………………………………………………...223
Figure 11. Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Greeks (1979/80)……………….……225
Figure 12. Wayne State University’s The Greeks (1987)………………………………227
Figure 13a. The Ohio State University’s The Greeks 1988)……………………………227
Figure 13b. The Ohio State University’s The Greeks 1988)…………………………...228
Figure 14a. Dordt College’s The Greeks (2004).............................................................229
Figure 14b. Dordt College’s The Greeks (2004)…………………………………….…229
Figure 15. Theosophical University’s Eumenides (1922)...............................................232
Figure 16. St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Oresteia (2001).......................................235
Figure 17. The University of New Mexico’s Oresteia (2001)…………………….……235
Figure 18. London National Theatre’s Oresteia (1999)..................................................236
Figure 19. Hendrix Colleges’ Eumenides (2009)............................................................237
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List of Charts
Chart 1. Publications and U.S. Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900-2010)..........47
Chart 2. Translations and Adaptations of Aeschylus' Tragedies in English.....................76
Chart 3. Translations vs. Adaptations/Distant Relatives ..................................................77
Chart 4. Chronological List of Aeschylus’ Rewrites .......................................................77
Chart 5. Graphs Shows the Progression of Aeschylus’ Plays in English From the
“Archaic” Mode to “Modern”……………………………………………………...….…79
Chart 6. Format of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900-2009)……………………………….…93
Chart 7. Percentage of Prose, Verse, and Mixed (Prose and Verse) Formats of Rewrites of
Aeschylus’ Plays................................................................................................................97
Chart 8. Rise in the Number of “Performance” Rewrites of Aeschylus’ Plays...............148
Chart 9. Published Performance Rewrites.......................................................................149
Chart 10. Production Types by Decade (Academic & Non-Academic)..........................186
Chart 11. Productions of Aeschylus’ Tragedies in the U.S. Academic and Non-Academic
Theatres ...........................................................................................................................187
Chart 12. Breakdown of Rewrites used for U.S. Academic productions (1900-2010) ..193
Chart 13. Demographic breakdown of Persians questionnaire respondents...................254
Chart 14. Persians questionnaire responses....................................................................255

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List of Lists
List 1: Prose Translations of Aeschylus’ Plays.................................................................95
List 2: Rewrites of Aeschylus’ Plays That Include Both Prose and Verse Sections........97
List 3: Agamemnon Rewrites that Introduce Outside Sources Concerning the House of
Atreus Myth...........................................................................................................98
List 4: Bilingual Translations (Greek and English).........................................................166
List 5: Translations with Commentaries..........................................................................167
List 6: Translation Teams................................................................................................175
List 7: Rewrites Published Since 2000............................................................................177
List 8: Aeschylus Rewrites With Multiple Academic Productions…………………….194
List 9: Comparison of Agamemnon Rewrites……………………………………….…201
List 10: Translations Used For More Than One Academic Production..........................208
List 11: Adaptations Used For More Than One Academic Production...........................209
List 12: Distant Relatives Used For More Than One Academic Production...................209
List 13: Productions of Classical Greek Plays at The Ohio State University…………..250

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