Rewriting the Greeks: the Translations, Adaptations, Distant Relatives and Productions of Aeschylus’ Tragedies in the United States of America from 1900 to 2009
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Rewriting the Greeks: The Translations, Adaptations, Distant Relatives and Productions of Aeschylus’ Tragedies in the United States of America from 1900 to 2009. Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bethany Rose Banister Rainsberg, M.A. Graduate Program in Theatre The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Stratos E. Constantinidis, Advisor Dr. Bruce Heiden Dr. Joy Reilly Dr. Anthony Hill Copyright by Bethany Rose Banister Rainsberg 2010 Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the practices of rewriting Aeschylus’ tragedies for American audiences and the manner in which these rewrites are “read” by stage directors who adapt them in their academic and non-academic theatre productions in the United States. In order to analyze the translation and performance practices of Aeschylus’ plays, this study will examine all English language translations, adaptations, and distant relatives of Aeschylus’ works for the twenty and twenty-first centuries and analyze key moments that connect and illuminate those works. The two central questions that drive this investigation are: (1) what kind of choices have the English-speaking translators made regarding the tragedies of Aeschylus, and (2) how have Aeschylus’ tragedies been rewritten by the practitioners of the American stage? Because of the proliferation and variance of Aeschylean translations into English, and research published to-date, an examination of these practices and texts provides a rich source for analyzing the larger issues of practice and critical evaluation of translation and performance. The seven tragedies of Aeschylus (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides, Prometheus Bound, Persians, Suppliants, and Seven Against Thebes) and the manner in which they plays have been interpreted by translators and producers from 1900 to 2009 will provide the data for this study. ii Dedication Dedicated to my husband, Clayton Rainsberg, and my two month son, James Banister Rainsberg who gave me all of the support, love, and dirty diapers I needed to complete this project. iii Acknowledgments I am forever thankful for the tireless efforts of my dissertation advisor, Dr. Stratos E. Constantinidis. His intense edits and insight greatly enhanced the research and writing of this project. His guidance and direction was invaluable. I am also very grateful for the energy and attention given by my dissertation committee, Dr. Bruce Heiden, Dr. Joy Reilly, and Dr. Anthony Hill. Their challenging questions and observations greatly improved the critical nature of this study. I would also like to thank The Ohio State University’s Department of Theatre for providing the academic resources, funding, and faculty supervision that made this dissertation possible. Finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge the help given by The Ohio State University’s Theatre Research Institute, the many academic directors who spoke with me about their productions of the Classical Greek plays, and J. Michael Walton’s critical insight in the beginning phases of this research. iv Vita May 1998.....................................................High School Diploma, Fannindel High School 2001..............................................................B.A. Theatre, Harding University 2003 to 2004……………………………..Theatre Arts and Debate Teacher, Canton High School 2004..............................................................M.A. Theatre, Texas A&M University- Commerce 2004 to 2006……………………………..Instructor of Theatre, Ad Interim, Texas A&M University-Commerce 2006 to 2008.................................................University Fellowship, Department of Theatre, The Ohio State University 2007 to present.............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Theatre, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Theatre v Table of Contents Abstract..............................................................................................................................ii Dedication.........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................v List of Figures..................................................................................................................vii List of Charts. ................................................................................................................viii List of Lists..………………….........................................................................................ix Introduction……………………………………………………………………...…….....1 Chapter 1: Is This a Translation?.................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2: The Seven Tragedies by Aeschylus and Their 20th Century Reception.........39 Chapter 3: Aeschylus Published………………………………………………..……….66 Chapter 4: Aeschylus Staged ……………………………………………..………...…181 Chapter 5: Trashing the Translations ………….…………………………………..….244 Bibliography...................................................................................................................264 Appendix A: The Tragedies of Aeschylus in Translation, Adaptation, and Distant Relatives (1900 to 2009)………… ………………………………………………...….279 Appendix B: Academic Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900 to 2009)..............290 Appendix C: Non-Academic Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900 to 2009)......359 Appendix D: Questionnaire About the Staged Reading of Aeschylus’ PERSIAS at the The Ohio State University...............................................................................................386 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Primary Categories of Rewriting........................................................................25 Figure 2a. Bates College’s Agamemnon, 1922 (translator unknown)………………….210 Figure 2b. J.W. Waterhouse “Psyche Opening the Door into Cupid’s Garden” (1904)..210 Figure 2c. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, “Under the Roof of Blue Ionian Weather” (Detail, 1901)...................................................................................................................211 Figure 3. State University of New York at Stony Brook’s Clytemnestra (1990)............212 Figure 4. Baylor University’s The Oresteia (2002).........................................................213 Figure 5. Wabash College’s Agamemnon (1981)………………………………………214 Figure 6. Coffeyville Community College’s Oresteia (2002)……………………….…215 Figure 7. California Institute of the Arts’ Agamemnon (2000).......................................217 Figure 8. University of Utah’s Oresteia (1999)……………………………………...…218 Figure 9. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania’s Oresteia (unknown date).................221 Figure 10. University of Utah’s Agamemnon, directed by Sarah Shippobotham (2004)…………………………………………………………………………………...223 Figure 11. Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Greeks (1979/80)……………….……225 Figure 12. Wayne State University’s The Greeks (1987)………………………………227 Figure 13a. The Ohio State University’s The Greeks 1988)……………………………227 Figure 13b. The Ohio State University’s The Greeks 1988)…………………………...228 Figure 14a. Dordt College’s The Greeks (2004).............................................................229 Figure 14b. Dordt College’s The Greeks (2004)…………………………………….…229 Figure 15. Theosophical University’s Eumenides (1922)...............................................232 Figure 16. St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Oresteia (2001).......................................235 Figure 17. The University of New Mexico’s Oresteia (2001)…………………….……235 Figure 18. London National Theatre’s Oresteia (1999)..................................................236 Figure 19. Hendrix Colleges’ Eumenides (2009)............................................................237 vii List of Charts Chart 1. Publications and U.S. Productions of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900-2010)..........47 Chart 2. Translations and Adaptations of Aeschylus' Tragedies in English.....................76 Chart 3. Translations vs. Adaptations/Distant Relatives ..................................................77 Chart 4. Chronological List of Aeschylus’ Rewrites .......................................................77 Chart 5. Graphs Shows the Progression of Aeschylus’ Plays in English From the “Archaic” Mode to “Modern”……………………………………………………...….…79 Chart 6. Format of Aeschylus' Tragedies (1900-2009)……………………………….…93 Chart 7. Percentage of Prose, Verse, and Mixed (Prose and Verse) Formats of Rewrites of Aeschylus’ Plays................................................................................................................97 Chart 8. Rise in the Number of “Performance” Rewrites of Aeschylus’ Plays...............148 Chart 9. Published Performance Rewrites.......................................................................149 Chart 10. Production Types by Decade (Academic & Non-Academic)..........................186 Chart 11. Productions of Aeschylus’ Tragedies in the U.S. Academic and Non-Academic Theatres ...........................................................................................................................187 Chart 12. Breakdown of Rewrites used for U.S. Academic productions (1900-2010)