5 Books by Euripides

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Overview: Euripides (c. 480
406 BC) was one of the three great tragedians of cla
ssical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholar
s attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-tw
o at most. Of these, eighteen or nineteen have survived complete (there has been
debate about his authorship of Rhesus, largely on stylistic grounds) and there
are also fragments, some substantial, of most of the other plays. More of his pl
ays have survived intact than those of Aeschylus and Sophocles together, partly
due to mere chance and partly because his popularity grew as theirs declined he be
came, in the Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone of ancient literary education, along
with Homer, Demosthenes and Menander.
Genre: Classics, fiction
The Bacchae and Other Plays
Through their sheer range, daring innovation, flawed but eloquent characters and
intriguing plots, the plays of Euripides have shocked and stimulated audiences
since the fifth century BC. Phoenician Women portrays the rival sons of King Oed
ipus and their mother's doomed attempts at reconciliation, while Orestes shows a
son ravaged with guilt after the vengeful murder of his mother. In the Bacchae,
a king mistreats a newcomer to his land, little knowing that he is the god Dion
ysus disguised as a mortal, while in Iphigenia at Aulis, the Greek leaders take
the horrific decision to sacrifice a princess to gain favour from the gods in th
eir mission to Troy. Finally, the Rhesus depicts a world of espionage between th
e warring Greek and Trojan camps.
Orestes and Other Plays
Written during the long battles with Sparta that were to ultimately destroy anci
ent Athens, these six plays by Euripides brilliantly utilize traditional legends
to illustrate the futility of war. The Children of Heracles holds a mirror up t
o contemporary Athens, while Andromache considers the position of women in Greek
wartime society. In The Suppliant Women, the difference between just and unjust
battle is explored, while Phoenician Women describes the brutal rivalry of the
sons of King Oedipus, and the compelling Orestes depicts guilt caused by vengefu
l murder. Finally, Iphigenia in Aulis, Euripides' last play, contemplates religi
ous sacrifice and the insanity of war. Together, the plays offer a moral and pol
itical statement that is at once unique to the ancient world, and prophetically
relevant to our own.
Medea and Other Plays
'Medea', in which a spurned woman takes revenge upon her lover by killing her ch
ildren, is one of the most shocking and horrific of all the Greek tragedies. Dom
inating the play is Medea herself, a towering and powerful figure who demonstrat
es Euripides' unusual willingness to give voice to a woman's case. 'Alcestis', a
tragicomedy, is based on a magical myth in which Death is overcome, and 'The Ch
ildren of Heracles' examines the conflict between might and right, while 'Hippol
ytus' deals with self-destructive integrity and moral dilemmas. These plays show
Euripides transforming the awesome figures of Greek mythology into recognizable
, fallible human beings.
Heracles and Other Plays
Heracles/ Iphigenia Among the Taurians/ Helen/ Ion/ Cyclops: Of these plays, onl
y 'Heracles' truly belongs in the tragic sphere with its presentation of underse
rved suffering and divine malignity. The other plays flirt with comedy and comic
themes. Their plots are ironic and complex with deception and elusion eventuall
y leading to reconciliation between mother and son in 'Ion', brother and sister
in 'Iphigenia', and husband and wife in 'Helen'. The comic vein is even stronger
in the satyric 'Cyclops' in which the giant's inebriation and subsequent violen
ce are treated as humorous. Together, these plays demonstrate Euripides' challen
ge to the generic boundaries of Athenian drama.

Alcestis and Other Plays

One of the greatest playwrights of Ancient Greece, the works of Euripides (484-4
06 BC) were revolutionary in their depiction of tragic events caused by flawed h
umanity, and in their use of the gods as symbols of human nature. The three play
s in this collection show his abilities as the sceptical questioner of his age.
Alcestis, an early drama, tells the tale of a queen who offers her own life in e
xchange for that of her husband; cast as a tragedy, it contains passages of sati
re and comedy. The tragicomedy Iphigenia in Tauris melodramatically reunites the
ill-fated children of Agamemnon, while the pure tragedy of Hippolytus shows the
fatal impact of Phaedra's unreasoning passion for her chaste stepson. All three
plays explore a deep gulf that separates man from woman, and all depict a world
dominated by amoral forces beyond human control.