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Abstract:

In this article, the translation principles of D.S. Merezhkosky are considered on the basis of the tragedy of Sophocles Oedipus Rex. Since the key motives of this tragedy are the motive of guilt and the motive of the crime, it is important how this is reflected in the translations, given the differences in the lexical means of the Russian and Greek languages. The article draws attention to the fact that Merezhkovsky conveyed various Greek words and expressions with vocabulary associated with the concept of “evil”. “Evil”, “villainy”, “crime”, “evil”, all this vocabulary does not change the original, but clarifies it, emphasizing the most important semantic motive of the tragedy. Oedipus treats his guilt, albeit involuntary, objectively, that is, as a crime, as an evil caused by him, albeit against his will, to other people. Calling himself a “villain”, the hero considers himself a criminal, he takes responsibility for the suffering caused to others, which is one of the moral lessons of this tragedy. Thus, abandoning the strategy of literal translation, Merezhkovsky was able to convey the main ideological meaning of the tragedy of Sophocles, not reducible to the “tragedy of rock”.