“No kidding.”
Helen (of Troy) confides to Elektra that she has reason to fear the fathers of all those Trojan sons who died in the war she was sorta responsible. Elektra’s reply here in the modern vernacular is one of those examples of Carson’s choices in translation that have brought both praise and condemnation. On the one hand, such common language does bring the ancient Greek poetry down to a more accessible level. On the other hand, such common language brings the ancient Greek poetry down a level.
“I hate to mention it but
historically
his prophecies are never false.”
The Chorus in a Greek play is often problematic for modern audiences. After all, what’s their deal? Carson’s translation of the one play that probably most Americans are most familiar with (who didn’t study it at least once in school?) makes it likely to become the preferred translation among high school and freshman-level English courses. If one can succeed in making the Chorus an absolutely familiar concept through introduction of a bit of—shall we say, snarky—sarcasm, that’s half the battle in the teaching of Greek tragedy.
“I’m not sure. Don’t fret about the details.”
Nursie here is responding to a query—a rather significant one—posed to her by Phaidra, asking whether the charms in question are an ointment or a potion. The typical translation has the Nurse behaving almost maternally by suggesting that Phaidra simply not worry about that and leave all the work to here. The translation by Carson, on the other hand, seems to be just a moment of consideration away from coming right out and saying, “Don’t sweat it. I got your back.” Maybe in the next edition.
“Oh, stop whining.”
Just as the Chorus is problematic for some modern audiences, so is the interaction between characters and the chorus. Klytaimestra (Clytemnestra) is one of the great progenitors of the modern femme fatale in Greek drama and the depths of her disgust that everyone does not have it quite as together as she is put on full display in the translation here by Carson in her back and forth with the Chorus.
