Product Description

Virgil's Aeneid, one of the greatest Classical poems, tells the story of Aeneas, son of Priam, after the fall of Troy. His quest is to find the site "in the west" where he will found a new town prophesied to be the seat of a world empire - Rome. This great poem, in a modern translation by Cecil Day Lewis, is superbly read by the great classical actor Paul Scofield, with Jill Balcon

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1258567 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11
• Released on: 2002-11-19
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 4
• Dimensions: .48 pounds
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Latin class comes to life
I studied The Aeneid in 4th year Latin in high school many years ago. I am sure it was never like this or I would remember it more fondly. This telling has a real sense of action and adventure. From ships tossed at sea to battles fought, the tale unfolds with energy and the characters come to life or larger-than-life, as the case may be. The voices of the gods are splendid and distinct; the narration by Paul Scofield quiet but never dull. And Toby Stephens as Aeneas is completely heroic and compelling. When he speaks it is easy to imagine his fellow Trojans' willingness to follow him for seven years and not lose heart. There was much more to the love story between Dido and Aeneas than I remembered from school, too. I guess unmarried intimacy was not for our tender ears. My only complaint is a somewhat abrupt and slightly unsatisfying ending to this excellent rendition of a classic.

Read with lyrical precision and dramatic grace
Aeneid is a uniquely presented, abridged translation and audio CD presentation of Virgil's timeless work of classical literature concerning a group of refugees from the ruined city of Troy, who seek a promised land yet are continually thwarted by the goddess Juno. The classic narrative saga poem is ably translated into English by C. Day Lewis and read with lyrical precision and dramatic grace by skilled actor Paul Scofield (additionally supported by the voices of Jill Balcon, Toby Stephens, Geraldine Fitzgerald, John McAndrew, and Stephen Thorne). Classical music enhances this grand work of great literature resulting in an emotional and highly recommended listening experience that endures the test of time.

Translation So-So, CD Could Be Better
This version, translated by C. Day Lewis, is more than passable, but not up to the standard of Robert Fagles. The audio recording also suffers from using an aging Jill Balcon, who for some reason was not only cast for female roles, but the god Mercury. For goddesses such as Venus and Juno, one would expect to hear the voices of 20-year old women, not the craggy voice of an older woman or women. Paul Scofield relentlessly reads the text, but completely lacks the force of Derek Jacobi in the Iliad and Odyssey. Jacobi's rendition of Hermes (Mercury) is that of a cheery lad, not the angry god who prods the wandering Aeneas ever onward.

I realize Virgil uses the Roman names of the gods, but I would have been more comfortable coming from hearing the Iliad and going right into the Aeneid using the Greek names. The continuity would have been better.

All in all, this version is okay seeing nothing better is available, but Mercury riding the sky's "breezes" I think would have been better rendered "winds."

It's a remarkable story and one I wish Jacobi would do. But it's easy to get spoiled after listening to him. No one else can come close, though Toby Stphens himself is far better than Scofield.