The Gentle, Jealous God

Euripides' Bacchae is the magnum opus of the ancient world's most popular dramatist and the most modern, perhaps postmodern, of Greek tragedies. Twentieth-century poets and playwrights have often turned their hand to Bacchae, leaving the play with an especially rich and varied translation history. It has also been subjected to several fashions of criticism and interpretation over the years, all reflected in, influencing, and influenced by translation. The Gentle, Jealous God introduces the play and surveys its wider reception; examines a selection of English translations from the early 20th century to the early 21st, setting them in their social, intellectual, and cultural context; and argues, finally, that Dionysus and Bacchae remain potent cultural symbols even now. Simon Perris presents a fascinating cultural history of one of world theatre's landmark classics. He explores the reception of Dionysus, Bacchae, and the classical ideal in a violent and turmoil-ridden era. And he demonstrates by example that translation matters, or should matter, to readers, writers, actors, directors, students, and scholars of ancient drama.

Simon Perris is Senior Lecturer in Classics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He has published numerous articles on Greek tragedy and classical reception.

Acknowledgements Note on Abbreviations, Texts and Translations Permissions Introduction 1. Reading Bacchae, Reading Dionysus 2. Rated R: Adaptation, Violence, Revolution 3. Dionysus, Lord and Saviour: Gilbert Murray, The Bacchae of Euripides (1902) 4. Nothing to Do with Modernism? H.D., 'Choros Translations from The Bacchae' (1931) 5. Dionysus in Ireland: Derek Mahon, The Bacchae: after Euripides (1991) 6. East and West: Colin Teevan, Euripides: Bacchai (2002) 7. These Go to Eleven: David Greig, Euripides: The Bacchae (2007) 8. Epilogue: Robin Robertson, Euripides: Bacchae (2014) & Anne Carson, Euripides: Bakkhai (2015) Conclusions Appendix: Translations of Euripides' Bacchae translated in English, 1781 - 2015 Glossary of Terms and Greek words Notes References Index of Passages of Bacchae Cited or Discussed Subject Index