1 The Living Art of Greek Tragedy Marianne McDonald, Ph.D., MRIA ...

Ta douleur me fait mal; tu me fais mal,
comme je te fais mal - nous sommes des atomes
d'un seul corps - ce qui arrive en Argos nous
arrive à Paris.
Your pain is mine; you hurt
me as I hurt you - we are atoms of one body -
what happens in Argos happens in Paris.
Both Mnouchkine and Suzuki are examples of directors who make Greek tragedy come
alive in a way that speaks to moderns. They not only address modern political issues, but set the
dramas in multi-cultural contexts.
Greek tragedy is best translated by a poet, and best directed by someone who still
respects words in this visually-oriented age. Ted Hughes, the English poet laureate, turned to
Greek tragedy in the last years of his life and translated The Oresteia. This translation was
successfully performed at the Royal National Theatre in London to celebrate the millennium
from 1999-2000. It was directed by Katie Mitchell, with a small company of actors, and
performed at the Cottesloe theatre in the National Theatre complex in London.
Clytemnestra blamed Agamemnon's decision to sacrifice his daughter to obtain winds for
sailing to Troy; this was one of her excuses for murdering him. Mitchell seems to be on
Clytemnestra’s side by keeping Iphigenia on stage throughout the first play as a gagged ghost.
This ghost follows the other players on the stage, so the past is always present. At the end of the
play, the ghost of Agamemnon appears as Iphigenia exits, a new ghost to haunt the living.
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