Medea and Other Plays

by Euripides, Philip Vellacott (Translator)

Overview

Medea, in which a spurned woman takes revenge upon her lover by killing her children, is one of the most shocking and horrific of all the Greek tragedies. Dominating the play is Medea herself, a towering and powerful figure who demonstrates 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 Children of Heracles examines the conflict between might and right, while Hippolytus deals with self-destructive integrity and moral dilemmas. These plays show Euripides transforming the awesome figures of Greek mythology into recognizable, fallible human beings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141906324
Publisher:	Penguin Books, Limited
Publication date:	07/26/1973
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	251,795
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Euripides was an Athenian born in 484BC. A member of a family of considerable rank, he disliked performing the public duties expected of him, preferring a life of introspection. He was not a popular figure, and at some point (and for a reason unknown) he went into voluntary exile at the court of Archelaus, King of Macedon. He died c.407BC and is thought to have written around ninety-two plays, of which seventeen survive.

Table of Contents

Medea and Other PlaysGeneral Introduction
Note on the Text
Chronological Table
Translator's Note

Preface to Alcestis
Alcestis

Preface to Medea
Medea

Preface to The Children of Heraclea
The Children of Heracles

Preface to Hippolytus
Hippolytus

Notes
Bibliography
Glossary of Mythological and Geographical Names