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Robert Fagles
Of course, such an ancient text has been adapted in many forms many times in order to ensure its longevity, but the translation that An Iliad is based on is that of Robert Fagles, an American academic who taught at Princeton. His 1990 translation is considered to be more novelistic and writerly and less devoted to the meter of previous translations; it is a really accessible translation that is really exciting, vivid, rapid and clear. He uses a five-beat line (instead of the six beat dactylic hexameter) that, according to an article in the New Yorker, "sometimes feels like stacked prose." However, he did take some liberties with the poetry by blending the long heroic similes and changing the purpose of the epithets, which are the descriptive adjectives like swift-footed, to address the narrative rather than being a defining trait if not part of the name in the original. If you're interested in seeing some of the difference in translation, the Wikipedia page on English translations offers the first line's translation. Fagles began with "Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles/murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses," whereas Alexander Pope began "Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring/Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, sing!" in 1715; there are multiple subtle differences that have a major impact on the story, focus, meaning, and sound. |
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An Iliad by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson
A theatrical and modernized adaptation of Fagles' translation, An Iliad was written for one actor, but the fluidity of the text and playwrights' permission allows producers to play with that configuration. Thus, Winding Road Theater is performing the piece with an ensemble of five with each performer playing multiple characters and producing the soundscape onstage. While the text uses bits of poetry from the Homeric translation, it uses colloquial language in order to replicate the emotional impact the historical piece would have had on the audience. It makes it more aligned with contemporary times and thus asks the audience to recognize the similarities in the text and human nature across millennia. As said early on by the Poet-figure, "Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time." But it isn't. The play asks us why.
According to an article in the LA Times, the pair began writing the play together in 2005 with the intent of addressing “a nation at war” and hopefully effecting change. They looked through The Iliad with an eye turned to accessibility for contemporary audiences that would still be true to Homer’s epic. The conversational tone developed from improvised condensations of segments of the translated text, which were then added to the script. O'Hare's abilities as an actor and Peterson's prowess as a director surely helped them with the strength of the performative adaptation.
A theatrical and modernized adaptation of Fagles' translation, An Iliad was written for one actor, but the fluidity of the text and playwrights' permission allows producers to play with that configuration. Thus, Winding Road Theater is performing the piece with an ensemble of five with each performer playing multiple characters and producing the soundscape onstage. While the text uses bits of poetry from the Homeric translation, it uses colloquial language in order to replicate the emotional impact the historical piece would have had on the audience. It makes it more aligned with contemporary times and thus asks the audience to recognize the similarities in the text and human nature across millennia. As said early on by the Poet-figure, "Every time I sing this song, I hope it's the last time." But it isn't. The play asks us why.
According to an article in the LA Times, the pair began writing the play together in 2005 with the intent of addressing “a nation at war” and hopefully effecting change. They looked through The Iliad with an eye turned to accessibility for contemporary audiences that would still be true to Homer’s epic. The conversational tone developed from improvised condensations of segments of the translated text, which were then added to the script. O'Hare's abilities as an actor and Peterson's prowess as a director surely helped them with the strength of the performative adaptation.
