The Thebaid: Seven Against Thebes

✍ Scribed by Publius Papinius Statius; Charles Stanley Ross

• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2004;2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 271 KB
• Category: Fiction

✦ Synopsis

A classical epic of fratricide and war, the Thebaid retells the legendary conflict between the sons of Oedipus--Polynices and Eteocles--for control of the city of Thebes. ... Charles Stanley Ross offers a compelling version of the Thebaid rendered into forceful, modern English. Casting Statius's Latin hexameter into a lively iambic pentameter more natural to the modern ear, Ross frees the work from the archaic formality that has marred previous translations. His translation reinvigorates the Thebaid as a whole: its meditative first half and its violent second half; its intimate portrayal of defeat and retribution, and the need to seek justice at any cost. In a wide-ranging introduction, Ross provides an overview of the poem: its composition, reception and legacy; its major themes and literary influences; and its place in Statius' life. A nd in a helpful series of notes, he offers background information on the major characters and incidents. --Johns Hopkins University Press.