Aeschylus: Agamemnon (1983 TV) part 1/10

[OnCloudNine62]

This is not the one with Diana Rigg?

[PirateXzibit]

Because the facial expressions are vital, they wore masks to enhance that. Otherwise it would be difficult for the audience in the back to see.

[vikzify]

I'm reading this play at the moment. So, great to see the play.

[wittyworldlee]

these masks scared me a lot as a child cos i never knew who was behind it

[belisariusorb]

Brilliant production, radical and poetic - love this so much. Thanks for posting

[scarlet0818]

can i have a bit of the script of this great thetrical play? thank you so much!

[jfbolus]

Agamemnon returns to Yorshire after the Trojan War.

[PeterSodhi]

@jfbolus lol

[deejayvisionsafc1]

This is a fantastic work of art. I think its great for anyone that wants to learn good chorus work. Im in the middle of perofrming Agamemnon by Steven Berkoff for my college project. This has helped me alot. Thanks :)

[Creissels]

Fabulous! I am so pleased to see this and thanks for uploading. I spent a day at the National watching this back in 1983 - came out hypnotised by the music and the text. A truly amazing theatrical experience. Never thought it was filmed....

[bluelava110]

this is pretty good and it helped me alot

[Lexihorses4life]

this is great its helping me with my greek theatre

[PrincessArana2596]

which bit does it say 'While we sleep the pain we can't forget falls drop by drop upon our hearts'?

[Twilightbuff]

Theater at its best :)

[Kafkws]

Μωρέ πάτε με τα καλά σας; Αισχύλος στα αγγλικά;

[Katatha75]

@Kafkws Γιατί ο Σαίξπηρ δεν παίζεται στα ελληνικά; Τι σημασία έχει;

[vlathimeros]

έλεος... 1*

[emannyc2002]

aside from all that i do appreciate it and watched the whole thing.

[emannyc2002]

didn't like it

1st- the drumming distracted from the words

2- often the chorus broke into singing or fast chanting and seems like rhyming was added to some lines - distracting

3- males playing female roles - distracting.

4- full face masks was also off putting -distracting. half masks would have ok

if they wanted to stick to the original- then why add the drumming +rhyming song

wth a 3000yr old play - clarity is the MOST important thing- dont make it harder with modern gimmicks

[LaurenRoxSox1]

Just a note on this, the way the plays were traditionally done in ancient greece included all male actors, even female parts, and originally the masks would have been full masks. Since this play is trying to stick mostly to the original (aside from what you pointed out) Those factors were very important.

[hceggeberth]

Hi emannyc2002 -

I'm no expert in ancient Greek theatre, but I can tell you that the music in this production attempts to recreate the role music certainly played in the original dramas. There's little doubt that much of the text would have been chanted or sung to the accompaniment of instruments, eg the lyre and aulos (here, harp and clarinets; percussion was very likely to have been used too). So, not a "modern gimmick" - more an attempt to re-create for a modern audience.

[lalalasing2me]

Peter Hall = love

[puzzelepunes]

Minchia, che parodo|

[pelodelperro]

Thank you for posting. This is amazing!!

[wuehrwolf]

OMG how great to see this! I saw this magnificent production as a student in London in 1981 and it changed the way I thought about theater. Thanks so much for posting! And this, as I'm getting ready to finally perform in my first Greek tragedy after so many years. Yippee!

[velanidisGR]

Greek Mythology..... the best "history"

[rafael6485]

this is great.

but it seems to me that the translation has oversized the original text. apparently the original has not so many verses. am I mistaken?

[Dominicussen]

No you are right. Ancient Greek poetry didn't have verses at all. Instead it was quantitative: syllabic length was its pattering agent, and it was ordered by short and long Syllables in very complicated schemes. But that is of course nearly impossible to convey in modern languages. Therefore the translator has used verses instead to express the original feeling. Personally I really dont like it when I read the Tragedies, but in a performance it gives some sense.

[dkrispin]

How is this? They most certainly did have verses. This translation might have added a few, yes, and I know for a fact it removed some (noteably the famous 'pathei mathos' line.) What you are speaking of, Dominicussen, was that it did not work on the basis of stress, but rather syllabic length. However, these patterns were arranged into verses, in the case of the dialogue in such a play as this, Iambic Trimeter (a misnomber, for there are in fact six iambs.) The schemes, however, are not complex.

[Dominicussen]

Oh yes, sorry, they composed in verse. I just forgot that Verse doesnt means rhymed verse: as in saw /.claw for instance, but refer to any kind of metrical composition. So what I meant was just that this modern way of constructing verse by rhyme was not used as the governing principle. However, here in this translation it is also quite rare that they sing in rhymed verse.

[Dominicussen]

As for complexity, maybe most parts are not that complex, and he often uses dactylic, iambic and trochaic, but some parts are. Cf. for instance this description from D. S. Raven Greek Metre about the choir song at 192-257: Chiefly iambic, with heavy syncopation. Choriambic substitution at the ends of stanzas (p. 110).

Greetings Jon and nice to have these kind of discussions on You-tube!

[dkrispin]

Ah, I see what you mean now. Yes, indeed, the chorus can be rather difficult to deal with (more so than the dialogue) especially in Aeschylus. I'm not that familiar with the Agamemnon in Greek, but have done some work on the Seven Against Thebes, so I suppose I'll have to amend my statement and agree that, as you have said, they can become rather complex at times... and that's saying nothing of syntax and vocabulary!

[tohu777]

I looked this one up on a whim, barely expecting to find it here! Thanks so much for the upload - I had this on VHS years ago...

[Aurelius27x]

Ahhh where can I get a mask like this? probably have to make it yourself.

[eromattiffarg]

Scary as fuck

[Germanicus79]

nice, thnx for puting it on you tube

[lucretius4]

This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

[bootleggersouth]

(4:44)

"Those who know what I know, know what I'm saying. Those who don't know, won't know...not from me."

[GreatGrumbledook]

"Say, from whose lips the presage fell? Who read the future all too well, And named her, in her natal hour, Helen, the bride with war for dower? 'Twas one of the Invisible, Guiding his tongue with prescient power. On fleet, and host, and citadel, War, sprung from her, and death did lour, When from the bride-bed's fine-spun veil She to the Zephyr spread her sail. Strong blew the breeze--the surge closed o'er The cloven track of keel and oar, But while she fled, there drove along (...)"

[GreatGrumbledook]

"(...) Fast in her wake, a mighty throng-- Athirst for blood, athirst for war, Forward in fell pursuit they sprung, Then leapt on Simois' bank ashore, The leafy coppices among-- No rangers, they, of wood and field, But huntsmen of the sword and shield. Heaven's jealousy, that works its will, Sped thus on Troy its destined ill, Well named, at once, the Bride and Bane"

- Shame that so few of the ancient Greek masterworks did survive and that they are played so seldom!

[HumanStrategy]

I didn't really like the translation used. It felt awkward to me.

[nokomarie1963]

Good Lord, it does sound like Baldric!

[blastm4]

I saw this in 1982 in London at The Olivier Theatre. i had no idea it had been filmed. Great to see it again - it brings back lots of fond memories.

[mallorcaben]

Oh God, I have been looking for this for 20 years. I had it on Betamax at some point.

I did the Oresteia in 1983 for my A/O level at college.

I got in touch with Greg Hicks and met him at the National Theatre.

[v102]

do you have the other two plays by any chance?

[ShakespeareAndMore]

not yet...

[hceggeberth]

Saturninus2 -

Yup. That's Tony Robinson in the chorus - also played the servant (small run-on part) later on in this production.

BTW, ShakespeareAnd More, any news of the other 2 plays?

[ShakespeareAndMore]

Had a source for other 2, but fell through. I know a library that has them. Gotta devise strategy to pry it from them whenever I get back to that part of the country...

[DDRpwnerer]

wat

[Saturninus2]

Is that the guy who played Baldric in Blackadder I hear in the Chorus...?

[BatSnakegirl]

Man, that's the longest prolouge I've ever heard!

[gatoulis25]

makes me expert my friend the reason that i teach this kind of theater thanks a lot

[TheSheepie]

Oh yes, you really type like a teacher. /applause

[gatoulis25]

go to hell this is not

the angaint greeck way of theater

this is a parody !!!

[ashermann]

WHY IS THIS IN TRANSLATION

[SoulLoser]

So that English-speakers can understand what's going on. Considering that this was performed at the National Theatre of Great Britain, what would be the point of presenting it in its original form? Even modern Greeks would have a difficult time understanding the dialogue untranslated.

[BVargas78]

Apparantly Aeschylus died after a bird dropped a tortoise on his head. Bizzare or what?

[BatSnakegirl]

Well, at least it wasn't a swallow dropping a coconut on his head X3

[CanoPinto]

Not sooo ancient style, btw. masks are baroque, in ancient greek style, there were only 1 or 2 people acting - later, they used 3. I see more Shakespeare than Aeschylus ther - maybe cause English ascent ;). But it is, sure, a great job. Thanks for up load it.

[mayhoth]

not quite right. there where the chorus (12-15 people) and 2-3 actors, representing single charakters.

[Justino111]

not that I LIKED the composition...of course not..it's way too traditional, but why composers are always ignored????

[Justino111]

sorry, but was this music composed by a ghost by any chance?? Or maybe the music was found under a piece of rock?? Why is the name of the composer ignored?????? The cast is all there, but NO composer whatsoever...

[Salamon2]

Look @ 0:31. It clearly says the music was done by Harrison Birtwistle.

[Justino111]

OK, you've got me there. Now, let's face it: Birtwistle is VERY WELL KNOWN in the contemporary music circle. His name MUST be included in the description notes at the right of the screen and that's part of my complaint. Everyone is there, but no mention of Birtwistle at all. Now an interesting thing: it doesn't quite sound like Birtwistle...very different from the Mask of Orpheus and everything else he has composed since the 70's (for theater or instrumental music). Sorry SIR Harrison!!

[Myahcat]

Possibly the most amazing translation ever. Thanks for posting.

[NFLranking]

I look up Tim Donaghy and I get this?

[malakokix]

my name is agamemnon;D

[iamthetopp]

awesome, the playlist makes it even better.

required viewing!

[ePhilosopher]

AGAMEMNON'S CHAIN\FUTURE SEEKERS OF THE GLOLOM CLOCK, AS RELATED TO

watch?v=WWGLKyydmdc

[FartheadOgre]

whoah this is cool.

[BambosNeophytou]

This is magnificent. Rarely is greek tragedy so coherently and powerfully realised on the modern stage - thanks be to Harrison of Leeds.

Thank you so much for posting.

[PavilionOfDreams]

Oh, this is so cool. Is this a tried imitation of how the syntaxes is used for the chorus? Interesting. But oh, Greek theatre should be more brright...

[lmora013]

magnificent, tnx 4 yer contribution to edumacation

[monkey5000]

Oedipus (Rex) is by Sophocles. Agamemnon is the first part of the Oresteia by Aeschylus, (other parts being the Libation Bearers and the Eumenides). There was a fourth part but it hasnt survived. In fact this is the ONLY greek trilogy to have survived. Wrote at the same time as the erection of the Parthenon.

[farleydog1990]

Kangstarr, its not shakespeare, its Agamemnon from Opedius, its not shakespeare. But its brilliant.

[Kangstarr]

Man....this is some of the most disturbing take on Shakespeare i've seen in awhile.

[jnouel]

not written by shakespeare...

[thiselena]

Shakespeare "AND MORE". It's written by Aeschylus; this version's translated by Tony Harrison.

[kenzdawg]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing this. Are the other parts of the trilogy also available?

[ShakespeareAndMore]

I don't have them, but some places do...I'm working on it.