Synthesized answer
Yeats's goal of putting the play "into simple speakable prose" for the Abbey players suggests an aim to make the play more accessible for performance [1]. This focus on "simple speakable prose" implies a departure from more complex or literal translations, prioritizing ease of delivery and understanding for an audience [1].
While the passages state Yeats revised his translations into "simple speakable prose" for the Abbey players [1], they do not elaborate on the deeper implications this goal has for how a play's meaning, character, or emotional impact might be altered or emphasized compared to a more literal, scholarly translation. The passages focus on the process of translation and revision [1], and include excerpts of the play's text [3, 5], but do not analyze the specific effects of Yeats's prose choice on the play's artistic elements beyond its performability.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
Description: "Working from Victorian translations into English and French by classicists R. C. Jebb and Paul Masqueray, Yeats completed Oedipus the King in the fall of 1926 and Oedipus at Colonus a year later. Yeats gave the second play, like the first, directly to the Abbey players, prompting him to revise and hone his texts through many versions to achieve his stated goal of putting the play "into simple speakable prose" that he hoped would be his "contribution to the Abbey Repertory." The play had a successful run in September of 1927 but was not published until 1934." "The edition…
play, which is presented with an apparatus of collations from the many proofs for three different intended publications. Included also are photographs and transcriptions of the verse choruses, except for the two appearing in The Tower (1928), also in this series; an appendix of other typescripts and proofs that invite detailed treatment; and a brief account of the music written for the play by Lennox Robinson, who was also its first director. The texts are prefaced by a census of manuscripts, an introduction discussing Yeats's development of the play,and a chronology of composition."--BOOK…
thoughts may come to other men And, as thy son, it falls to me to mark The acts, the words, the comments of the crowd. The commons stand in terror of thy frown, And dare not utter aught that might offend, But I can overhear their muttered plaints, Know how the people mourn this maiden doomed For noblest deeds to die the worst of deaths. When her own brother slain in battle lay Unsepulchered, she suffered not his corse To lie for carrion birds and dogs to maul: Should not her name (they cry) be writ in gold? Such the low murmurings that reach my ear. O father, nothing is by me more…
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a maddened roar He loosed the cord; and when her wretched corpse Lay stretched on earth, what followed—O ’twas dread! He tore the golden brooches that upheld Her queenly robes, upraised them high and smote Full on his eye-balls, uttering words like these: “No more shall ye behold such sights of woe, Deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought; Henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see Those ye should ne’er have seen; now blind to those Whom, when I saw, I vainly yearned to know.” Such was the burden of his moan, whereto, Not once but oft, he struck with his hand…
More questions about this book
- The "ARGUMENT" for *Oedipus the King* presents a chain of events where characters repeatedly act to avert a prophecy, only to inadvertently fulfill it. Explain how this pattern exemplifies a core concept of dramatic irony or fate in Greek tragedy, and why understanding this mechanism is crucial for interpreting Oedipus's journey.
- Considering the brief "Contents" list alongside the detailed "ARGUMENT" for *Oedipus the King*, what unresolved conflicts, moral dilemmas, or character arcs from the first play do you anticipate Sophocles will explore and develop in *Oedipus at Colonus* and *Antigone*?
- If you were explaining the "ARGUMENT" of *Oedipus the King* to someone completely new to Greek tragedy, what are the most fundamental human experiences, fears, or philosophical questions embedded within this synopsis that you would emphasize as essential for them to grasp the play's enduring relevance?
- The text highlights both scholarly translations (Jebb, Masqueray, Storr) and Yeats's adaptation for performance. How might the differing primary purposes—academic fidelity versus theatrical impact—influence a translator's choices regarding language, tone, and pacing, and what are the potential consequences for a student encountering the text through these different lenses?