Greek plays for middle school

[LHB2020]

Are there any translations of classic Greek plays that are suitable for middle schoolers?

[Porridge]

You can get full text translations of many classic texts at the MIT classics site : 

http://classics.mit.edu/index.html

In terms of “appropriate for middle school,” I think that really depends more on which play— Greek tragedies can have very mature themes. Antigone was fine for mine, but we read it in isolation (we did not discuss the other two Theban plays) and did have to talk specifically about suicide. 

[LHB2020]

Thanks! I'm specifically interested if there are translations that are written in simpler English geared toward a younger audience.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If you mean The Illiad and the Odyssey, the best adaptations are:  Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus.  We used audiobooks for both of these to aid in name pronunciation.  I was blown away by the quality.  They are gruesome for sure, but not *graphic* in my view.  We also read the graphic novel versions of both.  

[LHB2020]

Thanks, the kids actually have read both those and enjoyed them. I was looking for a similar type of adaptation of plays by Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, etc.

[LostintheCosmos]

They're re-tellings, not translations, but maybe check out Alfred Church's Stories from the Greek Tragedians. 

[Carol in Cal.]

On 1/14/2021 at 8:55 AM, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

If you mean The Illiad and the Odyssey, the best adaptations are:  Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus.  We used audiobooks for both of these to aid in name pronunciation.  I was blown away by the quality.  They are gruesome for sure, but not *graphic* in my view.  We also read the graphic novel versions of both.  

Very similar is "In Search of a Homeland"--a retelling of the Aenaid.

[LHB2020]

We've got the Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Church which seems to be pretty readable too.