The Vulgar Eclectic

I just finished reading Oedipus by Seneca (1st century AD), translated by E. F. Watling. This play deals with familiar Greek myth, specifically the story of Oedipus, more well-known from the earlier Theban plays of Sophocles. Seneca’s writing is darker and more violent than his Greek predecessor and, while the basic structure of the plot…

Finished reading The Eumenides by Aeschylus, the third part of the Oresteia.

The Libation Bearers (The Choephori) by Aeschylus (translated by Robert Fagles); second part of The Oresteia.

Agamemnon by Aeschylus, first part of the Oresteia

I just finished reading The Lower Depths (translated by David Magarshack), a play written by Maxim Gorky in 1902. It brutally depicts the lives of several poor Russians who are living in the cramped basement of a boarding house. The characters are superbly drawn. Through the dialogue, Gorky is able to ask profound questions regarding…