- Title
- Two escape tragedies in translation and performance: Euripides' Iphigenia among the Taurians and Helen
- Creator
- Alexander-Lillicrap, Jessica
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2022
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The aim of this study is to approach Euripides’ Iphigenia among the Taurians and Helen as theatre, and so to produce new, accurate and actable translations of these closely related plays. In composing these translations, this thesis also examines the process of physical staging, and how that may influence decisions in translating, drawing on the experience and interpretation of the plays and translation from the perspectives of the director, the actors and the audience. Both plays are unusual in structure and theme; the fantasy element, especially the phantom Helen, continues to be influential in fantasy literature, science and speculative fiction. The themes of innocence, sacrifice, family and cycles of violence remain relevant, which makes it a shame to see so few productions of these plays. Therefore, a new actable translation, which is created with a view to production, is significant to the cultural landscape. Iphigenia among the Taurians, dated circa 414 BCE, takes place after the end of the Trojan War. Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who had previously been sacrificed by her father, was saved at the last moment by Artemis and taken to the land of the Taurians to serve in her temple. Iphigenia is reunited with her brother when he is brought to her as a sacrifice in the temple in which she serves as a priestess. Orestes and his friend Pylades plan with Iphigenia to escape their predicament and travel home to Greece. Helen, dated 412 BCE, is set at a similar time, but even more drastically, Helen never travelled to Troy but has been waiting faithfully for her husband in Egypt, while an Eidolon imitates her in Troy. Helen has been rebuffing the advances of Theoklymenos by sleeping beside the tomb of his father, while Theoklymenos murders any Greeks who arrive in his land to avoid Helen escaping with her reputation intact. When Menelaos is shipwrecked in Egypt, he and Helen are reunited and plan an escape home to Greece. Both plays are an unexpected, though not unprecedented, version of Iphigenia’s and Helen’s traditional stories. In fact, the many similarities in structure, language and themes lead to some discussion of the dating of each play (see below). Iphigenia and Helen are both Greeks who have been transported to a foreign land and whose reputation and morality are called into question as a result. Euripides emphasises ‘foreign’ behaviours, chance and fate within the text of the plays. While both plays end with a successful escape, the tension that forms throughout the plays’ events is still as strong as any tragedy with a sad ending. This work is original because there is currently no published work that brings together both a translation and a discussion of staging, each based on practical research, of Iphigenia among the Taurians and Helen. Following the process through all the collaborative elements of a play offers a unique perspective on the works. Further, the commentaries discuss both the translation and the staging process. In connecting staging decisions to the translation this work aims to encourage more discussion between theatre practice and study of ancient texts, and more performances of these particular works.
- Subject
- Euripides; Helen; Iphigenia among the Taurians; translation; practical research; performance; Ancient Greek; tragedy
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1451302
- Identifier
- uon:44149
- Rights
- Copyright 2022 Jessica Alexander-Lillicrap
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 293 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |