Euripides was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles). Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias. Eighteen or nineteen of Euripides' plays have survived complete. There has been debate about his authorship of Rhesus, largely on stylistic grounds and ignoring classical evidence that the play was his.[1] Fragments, some substantial, of most of the...
Three Plays of Euripides: Alcestis, Medea, The Bacchae
Three Plays of Euripides: Alcestis, Medea, The Bacchae
Synopsis
This volume collects three of Euripides' major tragedies in a modern English translation by Paul Roche, published by W. W. Norton.
"Alcestis" follows King Admetus, granted the chance to escape death if someone else will die in his place. His wife Alcestis agrees, and the play traces the aftermath of her sacrifice — until his friend Heracles intervenes to win her back from Death.
"Medea" centers on the Colchian princess Medea, abandoned by her husband Jason for a political marriage to the Corinthian princess. Betrayed and facing exile, she carries out a devastating revenge against Jason that destroys everything he has left.
"The Bacchae" is set in Thebes, where the god Dionysus returns to his birthplace to establish his cult and punish the ruling family for denying his divinity, with King Pentheus caught at the center of the god's retribution.
Together the three plays span Euripides' range — domestic tragedy, revenge tragedy, and religious drama — and are frequently taught and staged as a representative selection of his surviving work.
Genres
Subjects
Edition
Three Plays of Euripides: Alcestis, Medea, The BacchaeUnknown, Feb
126 pages
W. W. Norton & CompanyISBN: 9780393093124
