Preface

AuthorRoger S. Fisher
Pages11-20
Preface
ANYONE
WHO
UNDERTAKES
to
translate
an
ancient
Greek
tragedy
will
quickly
realize
that
translation
is
a
form
of
commentary,
and
that
is
why
every
translation
of
Sophocles
s
Antigone
is
somewhat
different,
in
ways
that
may
subtly
influence
how
a
reader
perceives
the
play.
1
This
new
Eng
lish
translation
of
Sophocles
s
Antigone
seeks
to
convey
the
language
of
law
and
the
spirit
of
litigation
that
is
deeply
embedded
in
the
play.
The
legal
aspects
of
the
play
are
critically
important
for
understanding
the
conflict
depicted
in
the
play
and
the
motivation
of
the
key
characters.
2
Words
for
justice
(dike)
alone
appear
nineteen
times
in
the
play.
Other
words
having
to
do
with
law
and
legal
procedure,
either
directly
or
in
directly,
are
even
more
numerous.
Conley
and
O
Barr
write
that
in
any
culture
a
full
appreciation
of
the
law
and
its
power
depends
on
a
thor
ough
understanding
of
everyday
linguistic
practice.
More
than
that,
a
full
appreciation
of
law
also
requires
an
ear
sensitized
to
the
resonant
meanings
of
words.
Law,
like
poetry,
is
a
literary
genre
where,
to
quote
Sir
Edward
Coke,
every
word
almost
[is]
operative
and
material.
4
The
strong
undercurrent
of
legal
language
in
the
play
that
would
have
been
apparent
to
an
ancient
Athenian
audience,
familiar
with
the
language
of
the
legislature
and
the
courts,
might
not
be
apparent
to
an
English
reader
without
a
translation
that
attempts
to
express
those
nuances
in
modern
English.
5
The
goal
is
not
only
to
get
as
close
to
Sophocles
s
play
as
pos
sible
in
modern
English,
but
also
to
convey
that
Antigone
herself,
as
the
[xi]

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