EDITORS′ FOREWORD Stage directions The ancient manuscripts of the Greek plays do not supply evant to staging, delivery, "blocking, etc. ) Hence stage directions must be inferred from words and situations and our knowledge of Greek theatrical conventions. At best this is a ticklish and uncertain prod provided by the translator than that readers should be left to their own devices in visualizing action, gesture, and spectacle. Ancient tragedy reader must not expect the detailed intimacy("He shrugs and uI o'e as austere and"distanced"by means wearily away, "She speaks with deliberate slowness, as though to em phasize the point, "etc. )that characterizes stage directions in modern aturalistic drama 3. Numbering of lines For the convenience of the reader who may wish to check the trans- lation against the original, or vice versa, the lines have been numbered according to both the Greek and English texts. The lines of the tran tion have been numbered in multiples of ten, and those numbers have been set in the right-hand margin. The(inclusive) Greek nu- meration will be found bracketed at the top of the page. The Notes that follow the text have been keyed to both numerations, the line umbers of the translation in bold, followed by the Greek lines regular type, and the same convention is used for all references specific passages(of the translated plays only) in both the Notes and the Introduction Readers will doubtless note that in many plays the English lines outnumber the Greek, but they should not therefore conclude that the translator has been unduly prolix. In some cases the reason is simply that the translator has adopted the free- Owing norms of modern anglo- American prosody, with its brief-breath-and emphasis-determined lines and its habit of indicating cadence and caesuras by line length and setting rather than by conventional punctuation. Even where translators have preferred to cast dialogue in more regular five-beat or six-beat the greater compactness of Greek diction is likely to result Durham, Nc PETER BURIAN Chapel Hill, NC ALAN SHAPIROEDITORS ' FOREWOR D 2. Stage directions The ancient manuscripts of the Greek plays do not supply stage direc￾tions (though the ancient commentators often provide information rel￾evant to staging, delivery, "blocking," etc.). Hence stage directions must be inferred from words and situations and our knowledge of Greek theatrical conventions. At best this is a ticklish and uncertain proce￾dure. But it is surely preferable that good stage directions should be provided by the translator than that readers should be left to their own devices in visualizing action, gesture, and spectacle. Ancient tragedy was austere and "distanced" by means of masks, which means that the reader must not expect the detailed intimacy ("He shrugs and turns wearily away," "She speaks with deliberate slowness, as though to em￾phasize the point," etc.) that characterizes stage directions in modern naturalistic drama. 3. Numbering of lines For the convenience of the reader who may wish to check the trans￾lation against the original, or vice versa, the lines have been numbered according to both the Greek and English texts. The lines of the trans￾lation have been numbered in multiples of ten, and those numbers have been set in the right-hand margin. The (inclusive) Greek nu￾meration will be found bracketed at the top of the page. The Notes that follow the text have been keyed to both numerations, the line numbers of the translation in bold, followed by the Greek lines in regular type, and the same convention is used for all references to specific passages (of the translated plays only) in both the Notes and the Introduction. Readers will doubtless note that in many plays the English lines outnumber the Greek, but they should not therefore conclude that the translator has been unduly prolix. In some cases the reason is simply that the translator has adopted the free-flowing norms of modern Anglo￾American prosody, with its brief-breath-and emphasis-determined lines, and its habit of indicating cadence and caesuras by line length and setting rather than by conventional punctuation. Even where translators have preferred to cast dialogue in more regular five-beat or six-beat lines, the greater compactness of Greek diction is likely to result in a substantial disparity in Greek and English numerations. Durham, N.C. PETER BURIAN Chapel Hill, N.C. ALAN SHAPIRO 2003 vii