Hanna Roisman

Euripides’ Electra by H.M. Roisman and C.A.E. Luschnig Vol. 38 in

The Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture, Oklahoma University Press. Among the best-known Greek tragedies, Electra tells the story of how the title character and her brother, Orestes, avenge the murder of their father, Agamemnon, by their mother and her lover. H.M. Roisman and C.A.E. Luschnig have developed a new edition of this seminal tragedy designed for twenty-first century classrooms. Included with the Greek text are a useful introduction, line-by-line commentary, and other materials in English, all intended to support intermediate and advanced undergraduate students.

Electra's gripping story and almost contemporary feel help make the play accessible and interesting to modern audiences. The liberties Euripides took with the traditional myth and the playwright's attitudes toward the gods can inspire fruitful classroom discussion about fifth-century Athenian thought, manners, and morals. Roisman and Luschnig invite readers to compare Euripides' treatment of the myth with those of Aeschylus and Sophocles and with variant presentations in epic and lyric poetry, later drama, and modern film. The introduction also places the play in historical context and describes conventions of the Greek theater specific to the work.

Extensive appendices provide a complete metrical analysis of the play, helpful notes on grammar and syntax, an index of verbs, and a Greek-English glossary. In short, the authors have included everything students need to support and enhance their reading of Electra in its original language.