The Oresteia has that immortal point of work. Its immaculate conservation from ancient Greece until today, make it a link with the origin of our civilization, a channel of communication with that world in which it all began.
And as the Latin quote reads: «Nihil novum sub sole», the interpretation of this book The House of Names, Colm TóibínIt reminds us of precisely that, that there is nothing new under the sun. The theater through which the characters of Aeschylus's Oriestíada passed remains the same today. Because, quoting Terence on this occasion: Homo sum; humani nihil a me fucking alienum. In other words, nothing that is human is not alien.
From the first human to the one who pronounces the last goodbye, we will have been the same, the same emotions, the same pains and passions, the same ambition, the same hatred and an identical love as the only will capable of linking everything.
In any case, in practical terms, it is always risky to visit a classic and remove some of its patina so that it fits well in the current time. Only the profuse knowledge of the intention behind a classic work of this depth enables this magical translation of the author's feelings and intentions.
But there is no doubt that Colm Toíbín succeeds. Hit the key. He succeeds in choosing the most profound character in the play: Clytemnestra, the woman and mother full of rancor and in need of finalist justice. Reaching out to penetrate the psyche of this millennial female character gives this interpretation the label of a masterpiece.
As a result, we find a plot with which to cultivate while we relive the History of our oldest ancestors, that history that was wonderfully engraved in the legends and myths that the Oriestíada brought to our days.
You can now buy the novel The house of names, Colm Tóibín's new book, here: