The first time I studied Tragedy, we went chronologically - Aeschylus (Agamemnon) -> Sophocles (Oedipus + Antigone) -> Euripides (Medea + Bacchae)
It's really difficult to know where to suggest as a starting point tbh. Is there a particular myth/family/character you're interested in?
I'm tempted to recommend The Greek Plays, which includes accessible translations of 16 of the most popular tragedies (all 5 mentioned above are included) along with introductions and notes that you might find helpful as a first-time reader!
Oresteia, the Fagles translation. The introduction is amazing. ("A Reading of the 'Oresteia': the Serpent and the Eagle").
Deal link: Amazon
NOTE: Are you looking for discounts on a specific product? Search for the product in our official Discord Server! We are gearing up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Grab the deals before anyone else! Join our Discord Server to get real-time notifications on all deals. We have category-wise Discord channels. Disclaimer: Some deal links on this sub may be affiliated
Deal link: Amazon
NOTE: Are you looking for discounts on a specific product? Search for the product in our official Discord Server! We are gearing up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Grab the deals before anyone else! Join our Discord Server to get real-time notifications on all deals. We have category-wise Discord channels. Disclaimer: Some deal links on this sub may be affiliated
If you like Fagles (and I do), he also translated Aeschylus' <em>The Oresteia</em> (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides) as well as Sophocles' <em>The Three Theban Plays</em> (Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone). I haven't actually read either of these, although his translation of Aeschylus is on my bookshelf, and I can't speak to their popularity but I'd imagine they're somewhat similar to his translations of epic poetry. I don't think he translated Euripides though. Hope this helps!
> The medieval period was degenerate? Can you expand on this?
You just have to read about it. It was sexually and intellectually degenerate. Remember to read primary sources to learn history. Maybe start with Chaucer.
> Plato evil? Can you explain?
Not in a short post, sorry.
> The Old Testament and Islam are great for finding a woman, but the point of my post was coping about celibacy.
Why would you be more interested in coping than in solutions?
> I am glad to find a fellow intellectualcel here anyway. I'll check out Aristophanes.
Start here with "Clouds":
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H9M61H8/
By the way, I am not celibate. I was, but I find solutions to whatever my problems are. And you will probably find more intelligence on /r/IncelDiscussions than you will here.
These versions have Greek on one side, English on the other. Unfortunately to get all 3 of the plays you will have to get several of the books, as they are not distributed nicely for you.
If you are really reading it on a Kindle, any complete works will be a navigation nightmare and likely difficult to read. I checked out the Oxford, which is at least reasonably authoritative and unlikely to contain errors found in other editions. There is a huge introductory section before the plays start so you will need to get to the table of contents and click on the right one to jump, and it is more than $15. There are some pretty excellent apps for iPad if you are using that.
Otherwise, I guess Oxford is ok but unless you are looking for a deal, if you don't want paper I think you would be better off getting individual plays for Kindle. You can find at least some editions of individual plays from the Folger Library on Kindle, for example, and those are excellent, although they will run you $5 - $6 each. Some Arden editions are available for Kindle, too, and those are even better, but more expensive.
If you don't need the accompanying essays, etc., and just want the play in a readable format from people who know what they are doing, there are some editions that look pretty good, like this one for Macbeth for only $0.99.
The leader you're searching for does not exist. The path towards leadership is so compromising that it necessarily requires a leader to conceded the person they once were for that which is most expedient. "We cannot control the things life does to to us. They are done before you know it. And once they are done they make you do other things, until, at last, everything comes between you and the man you wanted to be." You should check out this book titled <em>One Dimensional Man.</em> It's by far the best account I've read on how society manages to find a way to co-opt even the most resistant of people.
God, excellent question. Though I admittedly haven't read more than one (alas!), I used this one way back in the day and really enjoyed it. Nicely poetic while not sacrificing meaning.
Pretty much anything by the Greek tragedians will be a great read. The Bacchae is great. Since he's just finished reading the Iliad, the Orestia will likely be of interest to him, as well. Think of it as the next chapter in the story of Agamemnon's family.
I've put off answering this because translations of tragedy are tough. Grene and Lattimore (vol.1 here) are good if you want a translation that is really faithful to the original, but they're not particularly readable for that same reason - it's not always good, natural English. The familiar problem of reading something that's supposed to be also a visual and aural spectacle is compounded by what are, honestly, totally foreign ideas (to modern western drama) about what makes a good tragedy - i.e. very little action, a whole lot of talk.
Peter Meineck's translation of the Oresteia is pretty good though. And the Agamemnon is, IMHO, the best play we have from ancient Greece, and some of the best literature period.
It's so difficult to translate poetry from any language. I would say go with whatever translation(s) keeps you reading, and try to see productions - 'faithful' or not - whenever you can to get a better sense of them.