Author: EURIPIDES,
Title: Cyclops. Edited by R. Hunter and R. Laemmle.
Description: Cambridge University Press, 2020. XII,268p. Paperback. Series: Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. ?Once dismissed as the uninspired product of an ?overworked  playwright?, or paid scant regard in numerous studies of Greek theatre for much of the last century, Euripides? Cyclops -our only complete satyr play- has been the focus of renewed and extensive scholarly interest, especially within the last twenty-five years. (?) The promotional description on the back cover of this Cambridge ?green and yellow? edition asserts that Euripides? satyr play is a ?brilliant dramatisation? of Homer?s account of the blinding of the one-eyed monster Polyphemos by Odysseus on the hero?s return from Troy. This fine edition by Richard Hunter and Rebecca Laemmle, with its consistently valuable insights and richly-informed commentary, demonstrates this claim admirably. The wide-ranging and learned introduction prepares the reader well for the commentary to follow. After briefly discussing ancient biographical information about Euripides, the introduction focuses on his role as dramatist of satyr plays, (?). As to be expected, there is detailed discussion of how Euripides engages with Homeric epic, especially Odyssey 9, the most important literary ancestor to his Cyclops (pp. 9-21). (?) Further points of interest emerge in the introduction. In addition to discussing the origins of satyr drama, there is also a nuanced analysis of its functions, which emphasises the predictable nature of satyr drama, with its recognisable tropes, as a self-conscious ?show for Dionysus? (p. 33) in the words of Pat Easterling (the edition?s dedicatee). Hunter and Laemmle argue, then, that the ?repetitiveness and familiarity? of satyr drama are a major source of its power, rather than its ability to encourage a sense of positive or negative identification between its audience and the satyr chorus, as some have argued. (?) The date of the play also receives detailed, judicious treatment (pp. 38-47). (?) The commentary itself is marked throughout by an erudition and clarity, addressing the points broached in the introduction -and going well beyond- to elucidate the text in detail. Aspects of language and grammar, mythological references and allusions, textual issues, extensive metrical analyses, and elements of performance (where these can be plausibly speculated on) receive sound and thorough analysis. (?) Students and scholars, then, will welcome this excellent contribution to the ongoing groundswell of interest in satyric drama.? (PATRICK O?SULLIVAN in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2021.03.03).

Keywords: 9781108399999