Product Description
The Cure at Troy is Seamus Heaney's version of Sophocles' Philoctetes. Written in the fifth century BC, this play concerns the predicament of the outcast hero, Philoctetes, whom the Greeks marooned on the island of Lemnos and forgot about until the closing stages of the Siege of Troy. Abandoned because of a wounded foot, Philoctetes nevertheless possesses an invincible bow without which the Greeks cannot win the Trojan War. They are forced to return to Lemnos and seek out Philoctetes' support in a drama that explores the conflict between personal integrity and political expediency.

Heaney's version of Philoctetes is a fast-paced, brilliant work ideally suited to the stage. Heaney holds on to the majesty of the Greek original, but manages to give his verse the flavor of Irish speech and context.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Don't forget the Irish politics
Other reviewers have noted that Heaney's translation, like any literary translation, serves a different purpose for its audience than the original work did for its audience.I just wanted to add that this translation is not _just_ a modernization of Sophocles' work.As an Irish unionist, Heaney subtly refigures the drama as a political treatise on modern Ireland, which was prominently expressed when former Irish President Mary Robinson cited The Cure at Troy in her inaugural speech in 1994.Leave it to a master like Heaney to produce a layered work with several valid levels of interpretation.

Seamus!
"The Cure at Troy," translated by Seamus Heaney offers a delightful translation of Sophocles' "Philoctetes." With a compelling tale from anchient times layed out before him, Heaney applies colloquial speach diction to the play. This accessability offers the audience a window into the basic moral struggle occuring at the heart of the work. A finly crafted story draws the reader to the characters. A worthwhile read.

The Cure At Troy
Seamus Heaney pulls through again with his brilliant translation of Sophocles' Philoctetes.The tragic story of the forgotten hero, Philoctetes, provides a unique insight into the conflicts between personal moral beliefs and political calling.Odysseus persuades the heroic Neoptolemus into tricking the mamed Philoctetes into giving up the bow of Hercules.This act challenges the admired traits of the ancient world and draws into question the importance of personal beliefs.As each character represents a different aspect of the Greek world, a fight for beliefs - fidelity, pity, piety - endures.As for the translation itself, Heaney provides a beautiful interpretation of the story as seen in the words of the chorus:

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

This enriched translation strays slightly from the ancient text in order to enhance the understanding of the modern reader. Overall, this fast-moving play entices and enchants through a lyrical harmony like no other.Bravo, Seamus. Bravo.

The Cure at Troy yields a measured dose
Seamus Heaney's version of trials for the Greek archer entrusted with Hercules' infallible bow and arrows gives us affirmation and points of reflection.Heaney does not dash the ancient dialogue style on the rockyisland; rather it is enriched for the modern reader.Honoring thetimelessness of Sophocles, Heaney allows today's reader to make comparisonsof private nature and choices with the public need and will.The hero,Achilles' son, Neoptolemus, finds that the strategy to take Troy for theGreeks runs counter to his nature of honesty and integrity.We wrestlewith him over the choices.We tumble with him when he loses his grip. Wecrawl back to sure footing along side the hero.I found myselfunderstanding the characters based on different experiences in my life. Philoctetes bemoans his ill-fated injury which leaves him abandoned andfull of vengeance.Human empathy allows him to examine his tight grip onhis woundedness without denying what he has endured.Odysseus, thepragmatic lieutenant of war, is shown for his utility and foibles.As inall Greek plays, the chorus calls the characters and the reader toreflection, "...For my part is the chorus, and the chorus is more orless a borderline between the you and the me and the it of it." Heaney got the "it of it" for us to take our own measure. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 3344 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Domestic nutrition assistance (72).(Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill)
Author: Jasper Womach
Publication: Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs (Report)
Date: January 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

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