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An unabridged edition from the translation by Gilbert Murray, to include comprehensive, explanatory notes at book's end. ... Read more

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Euripides I: Alcestis, The Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus written by legendary tragedian Euripides is widely considered to be among greatest Greek Tragedies of all time. This combinations great classics will surely attract a whole new generation of Greek Tragedy readers. For many, Euripides work, specifically, Alcestis, The Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless Greek Tragedies, these gems by Euripides is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books America and beautifully produced, Euripides I: Alcestis, The Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

book
even though the book is not the same as the picture, it is the same book.

Review of Grene and Lattimore's "Euripes I"
Frankly, there's little to be improved on. The translations are highly readable, and they benefit from the high qualities I've mentioned in earlier reviews of earlier volumes in the Grene/Lattimore series.

One major thing is lacking--a detailed biography of Euripides, like those present in the volumes on Aeschylus and (I believe) Sophocles. Also, the editors continue to take their reader's knowledge of Greek mythology for granted. The reader should bring a weighty knowledge of Greek history and mythology (including of the Pelopennesian War, since this is Euripides), or be prepared to miss out on a few metaphors.

Solid Tragedies
There is no question about it. Euripides is a genius. Having read the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles, I have to say Euripides takes it to the next level with all those fascinating characters whose psychologies are revealed on stage to great effect. Maybe it has to do with the near doing away of the annoying chorus that sings about fate and woe and gods and all the poetic drivel that stanches the flow of the narrative and ruins it more often than not (in my humble opinion). Euripides' characters are alive with real, identifiable emotions, and you can almost see them in front of you (well not quite, but you get the idea). Maybe I'm a fan of realism; but that doesn't alter the fact that Euripidean characters are interesting, and more so than the stiff paper cutouts of Aeschylus or the almost inhuman, idealized heroes of Sophocles (actions may speak louder than words, sure, but the thoughts and emotions of the tragic characters facing catastrophic disasters and terrible sufferings - something that doesn't happen to all of us - are just too juicy to be not expressed).

Two thumbs up.

Three breath-taking Greek tragedies!
This is a review for three of Euripides' plays - "Medea", "Hippolytus" and "The Bacchae".If you are interested in Greek tragedy, you must read some of Euripides' plays.His work is as different as can be from some of the others (like Sophocles and Aescylus.)Contrary to these other two, Euripides did not abandon the religious view of life, but he redirected it and found the values which evoke reverence in spheres other than in moral spheres.The moral sphere, in his view, belonged exclusively to man.The gods, according to Euripides, are not man's friend, nor enemy, nor moral guides.They are the unchangeable facts of existence like sun, wind, rain, the sea and fire.He also has very definite views of the place that women must keep in society, and he states in no uncertain terms that they should not rise above their station.In "Medea," we are introduced to a complex and dynamic heroine villainess. She takes us through the whole gamut of human emotions.We see how she reduces the masculine elements to nothing in this play in her handling of Jason.In "Hippolytus" we see a wrong committed by one man against another and it results in true repentance and forgiveness.We also see another strong female character in Phaedra, and Euripides presents her sad case with truth and candor."The Bacchae" is my favourite of the three, and it is a complex and disturbing drama.We get a good look at Euripides' ideas of what a god is like in his portrayal of Dionysus.We see how the gods are driven past all reason to achieve justice for past slights.There is no forgiveness in this play.I would love to see this play acted.It would be stunning.

Euripides plays about Hercules, Jason, and Theseus
Volume I of "The Complete Greek Tragedies" of Euripides offers the playwrights rather unique view on some of the greatest heroes of Greek Mythology: Hercules, Jason, and Theseus.

"Alcestis� (translated by Richard Lattimore) is the oldest surviving play of Euripides and the closest thing we have to an extant example of a satyr play.Consequently, this play has more of a burlesque tone, best represented in the drunken speech of Hercules to the butler and his teasing of Admetus at the end.Alcestis was the model wife of Admetus, for when her husband is to die she alone agrees to die in his place. However, the key in this drama is how Admetus finds this sacrifice totally acceptable. Admetus is represented as a good and honorable man, but then his ethos is established in this play by the god Apollo in the opening scene, and even though it was written later it is hard not to remember the expose Euripides did on the god of truth in "Ion." Euripides adds a key twist in that Alcestis agrees to the sacrifice before she fully understands that her husband will suffer without her. She is brought back from the underworld by Hercules and restored to her relieved husband, but the play clearly characterizes Admetus as a selfish man.

�Medea� (trans. Rex Warner) is not really about infanticide, but rather about how "foreigners� were treated in Greece, best seen in the odes of the Chorus of Corinthian Women. The other key component of the play is the psychology of Medea and the way in which she constructs events to help convince herself to do the unspeakable deed and kill the two sons she has borne Jason. There is a very real sense in which Jason is the true villain of the piece and I do not think there is a comparable example in the extant Greek tragedies remain wherein a major mythological hero is made to look as bad as Euripides does in this play.The audience remembers the story of the Quest for the Golden Fleece and how Medea betrayed her family and her native land to help Jason. In some versions of the story Medea goes so far as to kill her brother, chop up his body, and throw it into the sea so their father, the King of Colchis, must stop his pursuit of the Argo to retrieve the body of his son. However, as a foreigner Medea is not allowed to a true wife to Jason, and when he has the opportunity to improve his fortune by marrying the princess of Corinth, Medea and everything she had done for him are quickly forgotten. To add insult to injury, Jason assures Medea that his sons will be well treated at the court while the King of Corinth, worried that the sorceress will seek vengeance, banishes her from the land.Within this context Medea constructs the fate of herself and her children.

"The Heracleidae" (trans. Ralph Gladstone) is usually been a minor political play by Euripides. It tells of how the children of Hercules were exiled by from their home by the murderous King Eurystheus of Argos.After their father's death the children and their mother fled from country to country in search of sanctuary until, of course, they came to Athens. At first, the Athenians are reluctant to grant asylum, since Eurystheus might bring political and military strife on the city. But Demophon, King of Athens, agrees to admit them. Indeed, the army of Eurystheus surrounds the city and the oracles declares that the safety of Athens depends on the sacrifice of a virgin. Macaria, one of the daughters of Hercules, offers herself as the sacrificial victim. The play has usually been considered to be nothing more than a glorification of Athens, but, of course, in more contemporary terms it is worth reconsidering this Greek tragedy as a look at the problem of political refugees; consequently, �The Heracleidae� works well as an analog to �Medea.�

"Hippolytus" (trans. David Grene) opens with Aphrodite declaring her power over all mankind and her intention to ruin Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, because he alone has had the audacity to scorn love. Instead, the young prince has devoted himself to hunting and Artemis, the chaste goddess of the hunt. As the instrument of Hippolytus' downfall, Aphrodite selects his stepmother Phaedra, by making her fall in love with him. What becomes interesting in Euripides' telling of the tale is how Phaedra resists the will of Aphrodite, having resolved to starve herself to death rather than ever reveal her infatuation. However, Phaedra's secret is revealed when in a state of semi-delirium she confesses to her nursm who,out of love for Phaedra, tries to solicit an appropriate response from a horrified Hippolytus.Mortified that her secret is now known, Phaedra hands herself, but trying to spare the reputation of her children she leaves a note accusing Hippolytus of having tried to rape her. When Theseus returns from a long journey only to find his wife dead at her own hand and his son implicated in her suicide, he pronounces a deadly curse upon Hippolytus.Ironically, despite his fate, Hippolytus is not a sympathetic figure and it is Phaedra who becomes the truly tragic character in the tale.Another consideration is the portrayal of Theseus, generally accounted the wisest and best of the heroes of classical mythology. Yet in this story the man whose objectivity and sense of fairness made him give Oedipus a resting place indulges in an angry impulse worthy of Hercules.Again, the irreverance of Euripides towards the gods and their offspring remains the uniting theme of this collection. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Review of The Lattimore/Grene 'Euripides V'
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this volume. It's the last of Euripides', perhaps, I thought, the place to stick all the plays that no one will ever get to. However, the 'Bacchae' was an especially enjoyable read, a great way to end my reading of Greek tragedy.

As usual, this volume presents excellent translations, but lacks proper footnotes to explain passing mythological references to the reader.

Good
Well here it is, the last of the five-volume collection containing Electra, The Phoenician Women, and The Bacchae, and I am done with Euripides. After reading Aeschylus's Oresteia and Seven Against Thebes, Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy, and Euripides' Orestes, however, I was sort of fed up with the first two plays in this book since Electra is another take on Orestes and Electra's matricide, and The Phoenician Women reiterates much of Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes and takes place between Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. So all the dramatis personnae are a familiar cast for the Greek-tragedy-lovers, but apart from using the same material, they are good plays in themselves.

The Bacchae is a whole another play in itself and unique among the playwright's corpus (or in the whole of the extant Greek tragedies). Dionysus/Bacchus/Bromius, the god of booze and parties, is pissed (not in the British sense) at Thebes for dissing him, so he decides to make every woman of the city go mad and romping in the mountains with some ridiculous getup. Seeing public disorder at hand, Pentheus, the sober grandchild of Cadamus the founder of Thebes, tries to quell the orgies and revelries that threaten the city, and arrests the god, who drunkenly destroys the entire palace with lightening and thunder (precisely why the god of wine can summon thunder and lightening is only for the gods to know), then makes Pentheus crazy, dresses him in a woman's clothes, and goes a-romping to the mountain to just "reconnoiter" the field before launching squadrons of army against the drunken women reportedly having, well, a bacchanalian orgy. A host of miracles are reported, such as the women ripping cattle and bulls apart with their bare hands, flying over a river, butchering men, and other jolly carousing. Having taken Pentheus to the field, the god vanishes and orders the women to rip him apart with their bare hands, and this tragic sparagmos is done by the victim's mother and sisters. Coming home with a blinding hang-over and Pentheus's severed head on her thyrsus, the mother, Agave, insists that she captured a lion and sparagmosed it alright with her hands and proclaims how proud and happy she is, only to be awaken from the blinding hang-over and realize that it's actually her son's head that she's raving about and carrying on her staff. In a nutshell, an awesome play. Evohé!

Very fine version
The three plays presented in "Euripides V" are all important works: Electra, The Phoenician Women, and The Bacchae.

The editors are David Grene (who translated and provided the Introduction to "The History" by Herodotus) and Richmond Lattimore.Both are well reputed scholars of the classics.Before each play, they provide useful context and critical evaluations of the work. Emily Townsend Vermeule provides a competent translation.

The works stand or fall on the basis of the original quality of the plays and the competence of the translation.As such, each of the plays is worthwhile.The editors do a nice job of providing critical analysis (note some of the comparisons between Sophocles and Euripides).

In the end, this is a useful version of the three plays and a nice entree to the work of one of the great Greek tragedians.The work closes with a nice chronology of the plays of Euripides.In the final analysis, well done.

Excellent for undergraduates
A readable translation of the plays of Euripides.Enough historical background is given in the foreword and the introductions to each play that the reader has a better grasp of the meaning of the play to those whoviewed in antiquity.A bit conservative in the translation at times butnonetheless well done.

What Electra Complex?
Euripides V contains some of the most popular and famous tragedies by the Greek playwrite Euripiedes.Electra, the first play, is a must for anyone studying or interested in mythology and tragedies.The Phoenician Womenadn The Bacchae are also wonderful plays that prime examples of what Greektragedies are all about.Even if this is your first time readingtragedies, as was mine, the introduction by Grene and Lattimore pave theroad for the stories. ... Read more

Product Description
The Greek playwright Euripedes was misunderstood in his own time, but the topics he chose to write about--women's role in society, war, religion, and the human condition--are still relevant today. Included here: "Alcestis", "Hippolytus", "Ion", "Electra", "Iphigenia at Aulis", "Iphigenia Among the Taurians", "Medea", "The Bachhae", "The Trojan Woman", and "The Cyclops". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Reading Euripides
I found the introduction of the book very helpful and the translation makes the plays easy to read.The book was in excellent shape.

Good but average
This is a very good classic but missing one key item.Many classics refer to line numbers from some standard edition, this copy lacks those which I have found handy when discussing with others or for references.Otherwise it is a reasonable edition of a very good work at a fair price.

Wonderful.Greek tragedies have no comparison.
I've never read the original Greek versions so I'm not sure how accurate or well the plays were translated, but the stories were...well, classic.Medea especially tugged at my heart-strings.I think any mother should at least read that story.Wonderful, beautiful, riveting, and necessary for fans of Sophocles, Plato, and tragedies in general.

Euripides is a genius.
Combining mythology with genius storytelling, Euripides writes plays that pull his readers into plots filled with suspense and drama while keeping the sense of impending tragedy ever present.When I read Medea, I was amazed, if not a little bit obsessed. By the first scene, I felt engaged; I imagined it happening as I read. And when the tragic heroine finally entered, I was in awe of Euripides' character development technique. He managed to put real emotion on paper. I understood what Medea was feeling; I knew what she was feeling. I didn't have to re-read her lines to try and understand if she was angry or if she was lamenting. The other characters in the play were equally well developed. I never felt lost trying to understand how the characters related to one another or how they felt during their monologues.

Nonetheless, what really made me fall in love with this play was the character Medea. The strength of her resolve is admirable, though it leads to horrible consequences; her independence and strong sense of self really shine through. Despite her need for vengeance, Medea glows with power and justice.

I liked Medea so much that I decided to read another of Euripides' plays in this volume, The Trojan Women. So, if you're looking for something engaging and gripping, Medea is a wise choice.

An Ancient Greek Look at Human Nature
The ten plays Paul Roche translated consisted of some of Euripides' finest plays and some of the lesser known plays. I particularly liked Alcestis and Hippolytus and cared less for the last three plays in the book. The one thing that struck me about Euripides is the inconsistency of some of his characters from the way Homer or Sophocles depicted them and his own depiction. Furthermore, in the case of Iphegenia in Aulis and Iphegenia Among the Taurians the character of Iphegenia changes from a heroic figure in Aulis to a bitter one in Taurus. Even the details between the two stories differed. True, they were written in different times but an author ought to keep track of the details of each play. I also felt Roche should have pointed these things out in the introduction to the plays but he did not.

Euripides was criticized in his own time while being praised more in modern times for his desire to make his characters conform to the way people behave in real life. Most of Euripides' characters were often flawed such as Iphegenia and Admetus in the play, Alcestes. They were portrayed as basically good people that had a dark side to them. Iphegenia, who came to accept her fate (she was to be sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon, to Artemis in return for a fair wind to Troy) was whisked away by the god to Tauras. In the sequel to the play she became a bitter priestess who sacrificed all Greeks that wandered into the country.

Admetus was a man who treated Apollo well when Zeus punished him by making him serve Admetus. Apollo rewarded him by allowing him to live if he could find someone to die in his place. He asked his parents but they refused; only his wife agreed. When she died he mourned her death and truly loved her but he would not allow his parents to mourn because they betrayed him. His father countered by saying that each must take responsibility for their own lives. A good point that Admetus never understood.

I believe Euripides challenged his audience to ask themselves what they would do if confronted with similar circumstances. How would one react if you knew you could live if someone else died in your place (the subject of an old Twilight Zone episode, by the way)? In the case of Media (the wife of Jason-who got the Golden Fleece from Media's father) what would you do if you gave up your country and everyone you knew to marry a man and then ten years later you're thrown out of your home?What would you do if you were Phaedra (wife of Theseus in the play Hippolytus) and a god put a spell on you to make you fall in love with your stepson? These are the challenges that Euripides makes to his audience. He does so in an engaging manner with good interaction between the characters. The Chorus plays less of a role than it does with Aescylus or even Sophocles but as a modern reader of these ancient play I find Euripides great entertainment. ... Read more

Product Description
The Bacchae and Other Plays, written by legendary author Euripides, is widely considered to be among the greatest classic texts of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The Bacchae and Other Plays is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Euripides is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, The Bacchae and Other Plays would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Essential but...
Vellacott's translations of Euripides are the greatest voice anyone has given Euripides...

This last volume contains high voltage energy!The Bacchae is his masterpiece and the main attraction!

The only thing about this edition is that Vellacott in the 1970's revised his original putting much of the text into verse, and taking out the original prose.I find the 1954 original much much better, it is more readable and exciting than his changes.

You must however look in the copyright page (towards the front of the book) to find out which print is the original 1954 version of the plays, because Penguin has a dozen of subsequent re-prints that have exactly the same front cover!

This may not matter to those starting out with Euripides but to me it is a big difference and enough for me to let you all know.

Thanks

Masterpiece
Euripedes is one of the greatest dramatists in the history of the west, and the Bacchae is one of his most powerful and violent tragedies. It is the tale of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and intoxication, and of his betrayal on earth by Pentheus, the disbeliever. Despite the apparent revenge play that unfolds, the content and meaning of the work is not as clear as it seems. As the chorus declares: "The gods have many shapes. The gods bring many things to their accomplishment. And what was most expected has not been accomplished. But god has found his way for what man expected." It is Dionysus that suffers in the form of Pentheus. Dinoysus is the god of suffering, of excrement and moisture. The Bacchae is a major work of tragedy, and it established a lasting cult of Dionysus in the west, all the way up to Nietzsche and the Birth of Tragedy.

The Bacchae and The Women of Troy
I read Philip Vellacott's translation of The Bacchae and The Women of Troy by Euripides for a Greek and Roman mythology course this summer.Having no previous experience with Greek plays, I found that these two plays have universal themes that still resonate down to our time.

The Bacchae was written around 406 B.C. when Euripides was approximately seventy years old.The play is a dramatization of Dionysus' return to his birthplace Thebes where he exacts revenge, because he is not given proper recognition as a divinity.The main themes include the superiority of the gods and the importance of appeasement and justice.Pentheus, the protagonist, represents human failing to respect the gods so that he, along with the rest of society, is guilty of hubris.The story also illustrates that a complete state of ecstasy can be sanctioned through Dionysiac worship as long as it is controlled by the god.There is also a patriarchal element that outlines the gender hierarchy within the divine and mortal societies of the Greeks.

The Women of Troy highlights the trials and tribulations of three women who were most affected by the Trojan War.Andromache, Cassandra, and Helen all have stories of heartbreak to tell and Euripides tells their stories in a sympathetic fashion.This play was produced in 415 BC, and it was a part of a trilogy, but the other two plays have been lost.Historically, the play was performed after the massacre on the island of Melos when the Athenians severely punished the inhabitants who wanted to withdraw from the League.Scholars have seen the play as a condemnation of the massacre set outside the walls of Troy.

I enjoyed reading these plays, and when I have some free time I'd like to continue on and read Ion and Helen which are plays also found in this edition.

The Best of Euripides
Although it is probably best to read some of Euripides' other plays before this collection, this volume contains the best of his extant work (in my opinion).Besides the Bacchae there are two truly great plays centering around the tragic figure of Iphigenia (a daughter sacrificed to Artemis by Agamemnon so his fleet could set sail for Troy in Homer's Iliad).
Euripides has had his detractors over the centuries, but the oratory, emotion, and sensitivity of his tragedies sets him apart from Aeschylus and Sophocles (each of whom was also excellent for other reasons).

A review on the Iphigenia plays
Included in this volume are two plays whose heroine are Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.One takes place before the Trojan War, and the other after her siblings Orestes and Electra had killed their mother.In the first, "Iphigenia at Aulis", she was to be sacrificed in order to appease Artemis and allow the Greek army to sail to Troy.The plot is the hard decisions the sons of Atreus, Clytemnestra, and Iphigenia herself had to make, to see if the sacrifice would be worth it.It is interesting that this also sheds a new perspective on the return of Agamemnon after the war, beause Ighigenia told her mother not to be angry about it.Obviously, because the "Iphigenia among the Taurians" took place some eighteen years later, she didn't die, but I'll leave the conclusion a surprise.The second play takes place in a barbarian land, where Iphigenia is a pristess.Orestes, her brother, has come here in exile, and is to be sacrificed because he is Greek.AFter they recognize each other, they plan their escape, but will they make it?Read these plays to find out. ... Read more

Product Description
The first playwright of democracy, Euripides wrote with enduring insight and biting satire about social and political problems of Athenian life.  In contrast to his contemporaries, he brought an exciting--and, to the Greeks, a stunning--realism to the "pure and noble form" of tragedy.  For the first time in history, heroes and heroines on the stage were not idealized:  as Sophocles himself said, Euripides shows people not as they ought to be, but as they actually are. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The most "modern" of the "Big Three" Greek dramatists
I will preface this review by stating that I am usually loath to review "the classics".First, they tend to stand on their own merits; second, more qualified reviewers with greater expertise than I as a general reader tend to already do an excellent job reviewing the work long before I arrive on the scene."Ten Plays by Euripides" is no exception: the works have survived to the present day due to their beauty and genius, and excellent reviews (most notably Mr. Lawrence Bernabo's) have already been posted.But a particularly knuckleheaded review currently stands as the most recent review, prompting me to add my own review in an attempt to add a counterweight to the negative review.

Euripides is in many ways the most "modern" of the ancient Greek dramatists in the way he plunges the psychological depths of his characters ... most of whom stood as "larger than life" figures in the works of his ancestors and contemporaries (e.g. Homer, Aeschylus, and Sophocles) until Euripides humanizes them.As Sophocles is reported to have said, where Sophocles portrayed these characters as "they ought to be", Euripides portrayed them as "they actually were".The full genius of Euripides' characterization cannot be appreciated except for in comparison with the often "larger than life" treatment given by Homer and Aeschylus.Euripides is particularly gifted in his work with female characters such as Clytemnestra, Medea, and Alcestis.

With his surprisingly "modern" treatments of these famous characters and scenes from Greek history and mythology, Euripides ushered in a new era of theater.Echos of Euripides' works can be heard in the great dramatic history of Europe, all the way to the present day.This particular volume contains many of Euripides' best works at a good price with good translations, making it an especially worthwhile purchase.

Not so Immortal Drama?
I had read some of his workin another version and wasn't very impressed.
I am holding him to the standards of the really great authors
of his own day. It is said in the beginning that he was killed by the kings dogs
( By implications that he had offended the king and they were turned on him?).
His tragedy isn't tragic enough, and he rewrites the Trojan war as it pleased him in his age 1000 years later.
In many ways he seems a toned down Greek with less passion and blood on stage and more political insinuations.
Only about half his plays survive and reading these I realize that they were probably worse?
I did find one interesting note in Alcestisthat suggest that three days in the grave wasn't a Hebrew superstition, but a Greek one.

One of the greatest greek dramatist
10 beautiful and powerful plays by a man whose genius can still be felt today

The evolution of drama
Some reviewers say that Euripides is not strictly a tragedian in the Greek sense, but a playwright who took Greek drama to a next level of development. I agree, and this can be seen both in structural and styilistic innovations, as well as in the way of treating his subjects, remarkably the Gods, myths, religion and the situation of women. Maybe that's why he was the least successful of the three known Greek "tragedians", the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Structural and styilistic innovations include the opening monologue in which one of the characters explains the situation such as it is at the beginning of the action. Other ones are: a lesser use of the Chorus and the treatment of the final deus-ex-machina. But in my view, the most important aspect of his dramas is the controversial stance he takes against traditions and myths. If Aschylus lives in a world of gods, heroes and titans, and if Sophocles is the great tragedian of Fate, glory, downfall and grandilocuent suffering, for Euripides humans are just humans and the gods are, in the best case, distant, cruel and frivolous entities. With Euripides, it is not so much Fate but every individual's decisions which decide their fortune. He also exposes crudely the disadvantaged situation of women, hand-tied by laws and traditions which preclude their human development. Finally, for him war is not an opportunity for glory, but only destruction, misery and disgrace. War does not purify or ennoble, it just destroys and saddens. In spite of this vision, his plays do not entirely lack a sense of humor, even if it's black humor. Some of the plays included in this volume are:

"Alcestis", a good example of Euripides's anti-tragedy which begins sad and ends joyful. Alcestis volunteers to die instead ofher husband, Admetus (whose own parents refuse to sacrifice for him). Admetus has to be one of the most despicable characters in literature. In the end, a drunk Hercules saves the woman and all ends well (more or less).

"Medea" is the terrifyingly cruel story of Jason's wife, who goes mad at his infidelities and punishes him by murdering their children. Chilly.

"Hippolytus", which is more properly a tragedy in the old style. Here the gods do intervene decisively: Aphrodite inspires in Phaedra a lustful love for her stepson, Hippolytus. When the boy finds out about it, he sternly rejects the idea and Phaedra kills herself. She lefts behind a letter accusing Hippolytus of having tried to seduce her, which brings about the boy's death.

"Andromache", a drama about jealousy in which Hector's widow is about to die at the hands of her raptor's wife (the raptor is Neoptolemus, Achilles's son). In the end, she is saved by the wisdom and mercy of Achilles's father.

"Ion", apocryhphal son of Apollo, who is adopted by another man and made priest of his true father's temple (he ignores his true lineage).

"The Trojan Women", where the cruel deaths of Priamus's children are told.

"Electra", very different from the one written by Aeschylus where Electra is a hysterical crazy. Here, she is a cold and firm avenger.

"Ifigenia among the Taurus", where the supposedly sacrificed daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra appears as the guardian of Artemisa's temple in the country of the Taurus, nowadays Crimea. Her brother Orestes arrives to the place with his friend Pilades, escaping from the cruel Erinnis (deities in charge of punishing parricide or matricide). His goal is to steal the statuette of the godess in order to perform some ritual of atonement for his sins. Brother and sister recognize each other and run away together. This isn't either a proper tragedy, but more of a farce.

Euripides laid down the basis for what would be modern drama. The plays are quite good and relevant and so completely recommended.

Ten plays by Euripides, the first playwright of democracy
Euripides was the youngest and the least successful of the great triad of Greek tragic poets.Criticized by the conservatives of his time for introducing shabby heroes and immoral women into his plays, his plays were ridiculed by Aristophanes in "The Frogs."His plays exhibited his iconoclastic, rationalizing attitude toward the ancient myths that were the subject matter for Greek drama.For Euripides the gods were irrational and petulant, while heroes had flawed natures and uncontrolled passions that made them ultimately responsible for their tragic fates.Ultimately, your standard Euripides tragedy offers meaningless suffering upon which the gods look with complete indifference (until they show up at the end as the deux ex machina).However, today Euripides is considered the most popular of the Greek playwrights and is considered by many to be the father of modern European drama.

This volume does not include all of the extant plays of Euripides (we believe he authored 92 plays, 19 of which have survived), but what are arguably the ten most important: "Alcestis," "Medea," "Hippolytus," "Andromache," "Ion," "Trojan Women," "Electra," "Iphigenia Among the Taurians," "The Bacchants," and "Iphigenia at Aulis."The translations by Moses Hadas and John McLean are not as literate as you will find elsewhere, but they are eminently functional and make this volume one of the most cost-effective ways of providing students an opportunity to study the work of a great dramatist.

After reading several Euripides tragedies several things emerge in our understanding of his work.First, he has a unique structure for his plays decidedly different from those of Aeschylus and Sophocles.Usually the play begins with a monologue that provides the necessary exposition regarding the situation with which the characters are confronted.At the end of the play a god usually descends from heaven to provide an epilogue to say what happens afterwards (e.g., "Hippolytus").Second, Euripides is much more interested in the dynamic interaction of his characters than the role of the chorus.The stasimons and occasional monodies are more what exists between scenes for Euripides instead of an opportunity to comment upon the story as with Aeschylus (e.g., "Agamemnon").Third, the idea that Euripides is a misogynist just does not bear up under even a basic reading of these plays.This misconception might stem from our understanding of the culture of the times, because the "worst" thing you can say about the women of Euripides is that they are realistic characters.

Fourth and most importantly, clearly Euripides is at his best when there is a political agenda embedded in his story."The Trojan Women" offers a fascinating counterpoint to the reactions of those same characters at the end of the "Iliad" when Hector's body is returned to Troy, but Euripides is not concerned with commenting on Homer but rather on the Athenian destruction of the city of Melos, which had tried to stay neutral in the Peloponnesian War (compare this with Euripides in a patriotic mode in "Andromache").Much more is made of Euripides irreverence towards the gods (e.g., "The Bacchants"), however I think his greatness lies not in being an atheist but in being a strong advocate of democratic principles (e.g., the treatment of foreigners at the heart of "Medea").Hadas reinforces this latter idea in his translations, admitting that for the modern reader it might be better to think of Euripides "as a pamphleteer rather than a poet."Still, Hadas emphasizes that despite the parodies provided by Aristophanes, Euripides was a great poet.Furthermore, Hadas is committed to keeping the translations as poetry rather than prose.

But there is also a sense in which Euripides provides psychological insights into his characters as much as Sophocles, who usually gets the edge in that respect because Freud derived the Oedipal and Electra complexes from his writings.Even though there was a limit of only three characters on stage at a time, Euripides would often made one of these characters, such as the nurse in "Hippolytus" or Pylades (friend of Orestes in both "Electra" and "Iphigenia Among the Taurains"), a normal person, who served as a means for showing the profoundly disturbed nature of the tragic hero.

Reading a single Euripides play is not going to make the validity of any or all of these points clear, but if you read most of these ten plays you should come to similar conclusions.I still like to use Euripides in bracket Homer's "Iliad," looking at the way he presages the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon in "Iphigenia at Aulis," and the fate of "The Trojan Women," but there is much value to studying the plays of Euripides on their own terms.Granted, you can find better (i.e., more "modern") translations, but finding ten Euripides plays in one volume is going to be impossible and/or expensive. ... Read more

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"Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd."
Having given up home and family and virtually everything else to help Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece, Medea was stunned when Jason arranged to leave her and marry the rich and beautiful daughter of the queen of Corinth. But, Medea is a proud and capable woman, and she will not allow those that would abuse her to triumph in their plans. With cunning and resolve, she lays a plan so terrible that everyone around her will suffer her revenge, mostly Jason, the father of her children.

The Athenian playwright Euripides first saw his play, Medea, performed in 431 B.C. The play won third prize. But, that same play is now considered to have been one of the greatest works of Western literature to have ever been produced.

The story is powerful, with a brooding gloom hanging over it, as you, like the chorus, know what is going to happen and watch it with the same horror as watching a train wreck unfold. I liked how you knew what was going to happen, seeing the crime in all its cold-blooded terror. Euripides was indeed a genius, and I highly recommend this play to anyone who wants to know what great literature really is.

In his 1697 play, The mourning bride, William Congreve wrote, "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd." But, it had all happened before...long before. I highly recommend this classic!

Truly deserving of five stars
I've heard a few professors say that while the Dover Thrift Editions are very economical for cash-strapped college students, the translations are hit or miss.I've read some Dover editions of classical works for both classes and on my own and that's definitely true, but as someone interested in ancient literature (largely prose, but I like verse as well) and who has been constantly frustrated over the years with the very complex (to put it mildly) translations that have flooded the market in years past, Rex Warner's translation of the Greek tragedy Medea was not only easy to follow, but I just wanted to keep reading until I was finished - and was disappointed when it ended!

So, yes, this is one Dover Thrift Edition where you get more for your money.- Donna Di Giacomo

Great Buy!!
This book is an absolute bargain at this price and the shipping was super fast. This translation is great for younger readers and speaks to them in an easily understandable tongue.

Medea
Honestly reading this story overwhelmed me.Considering how short the play is, at the end I found myself mentally and emotionally exhausted."Medea" explores many different themes that are still present in life today.Although I found her undying attachment to Jason annoying, I understood after reading the play how love and revenge can overpower ones mind.I felt as if Euripides toyed with the fact that women are both the weakest and the strongest in relationships.Medea's passion was overwhelming as a reader because I felt like it was a cry for attention rather than a true plea of lost love.

Euripides' "Medea" although short, is very intense and filled with many emotions.I was lucky enough to see an amazing performance of this play.If done thoughtfully, it can engage you to the point where you sympathize with Medea and are annoyed by her at the same time.

medea
In Medea by Euripides, Medea formulates a plan to destroy her husband and his new wife, the princess. Euripides is able to convey to the reader the distress and anger that Medea has within her. Her anger is seen as she is willing to sacrifice her own children so that herplan to kill her husband is followed through with. The reader may become frustrated with her as she almost seems heinous and can be considered the villain. Medea is different from many women because of her strong will and determination. Most women would be filled with sorrow, but instead, Medea plans out her revenge instead of crying her eyes out. She uses however, this soft spot in women to put her plan into action by begging the king for an extended stay in the city, and she succeeds. Medea shows the power and guile of women. ... Read more

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Medea and Other Plays, written by legendary author Euripides, is widely considered to be among the greatest classic texts of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Medea and Other Plays is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Euripides is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, Medea and Other Plays would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Good overall quality and price!!!
Good quality, good price...just a lil hard to read and follow...also unfortunately a few glitches in grammar but it was useful for the need...happy for the quick shipping!!

Good job
Very fast shipping ! I didn't expect it to come so quickly with standard international shipping. Besides, the book is brand new as described on the site.
I am very pleased, thanks.

Medea
The item had major water damage, but the seller emailed me explaining this before he sent it. Very responsible.

Bared to The Wire.
Although writing around 450B.C., Euripedes still holds importance for anyone interested in modern drama. Indeed, I came to Euripedes et al. because of "The Wire" creator David Simon's admission that large parts of his show's plot and characterisation were "stolen" (his words) from the three great Greek tragedians (the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles).

Euripedes holds a reputation as possibly the darkest of all the Greek playwrights (so dark that he was deeply unpopular in Athens, repeatedly mocked by Aristophanes in his plays, and forced into exile in the last years of his life). "Medea" is probably his most famous work, and indeed it is exceedingly dark stuff, dealing with child murder and revenge just for starters.

But what makes Euripedes' work endure is the extreme economy he employs in his works, along with the means of expressing this economy: "Medea" runs to perhaps fifty pages, and he was the first playwright to use everyday, idiomatic language as the language of the gods and classical heroes. In so doing, "Medea" and the other works featured here are a reminder of the enduring power of sparse and direct language.

Older edition
This is just a previous edition of Vellacott's translations.Easily obtainable at used bookstores and much cheaper! ... Read more

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This new volume of three of Euripides' most celebrated plays offers graceful, economical, metrical translations that convey the wide range of effects of the playwright's verse, from the idiomatic speech of its dialogue to the high formality of its choral odes. ... Read more

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Rhesus (Greek: Ρήσος, Rēsos), possibly 350 BC, is transmitted among the plays of Euripides, and was indeed believed to be genuinely Euripidean in the Hellenistic, Imperial, and Byzantine periods.

[Source: Wikipedia.org] ... Read more

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This volume of Euripides' plays offers new translations of the three great war plays Trojan Women, Hecuba, and Andromache, in which the sufferings of Troy's survivors are harrowingly depicted. With unparalleled intensity, Euripides--whom Aristotle called the most tragic of poets--describes the horrific brutality that both women and children undergo during war. Yet, in the war's aftermath, this brutality is challenged and a new battleground is revealed where the women of Troy evince an overwhelming greatness of spirit.
We weep for the aged Hecuba in her name play and in Trojan Women, while at the same time we admire her resilience amid unrelieved suffering. Andromache, the slave-concubine of her husband's killer, endures her existence in the victor's country with a stoic nobility.Of their time yet timeless, these plays insist on the victory of the female spirit amid the horrors visited on them by the gods and men during war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bad Kindle Edition
My rating and review reflect the Kindle edition, not Euripides' plays, nor the translations and commentaries of these works.THE TROJAN WOMEN AND OTHER PLAYS is a horrible Kindle edition.The text of the plays does not act as text, but like a picture. The reader cannot change the text size (which is small), nor does the dictionary function work.Nor are there links to the notes.The reader must put in the location number of the notes in order to go there.(It would be much more helpful if for these Kindle editions editors would do footnotes instead of endnotes.)I read the sample before I bought the edition, but it was deceiving since it only covered the Introduction, which behaves like normal Kindle text.Were this one of the relatively inexpensive editions, I would not be bothered by the poor Kindle features.But since this book was almost at full Kindle price, I expected much, much better.

Three tragedies by Euripides on the women of fallen Troy
This Oxford World's Classic volume brings together three extant tragedies by Euripides dealing with the aftermath of the Trojan War: "Hecuba," "The Trojan Women," and "Andormache."After the fall of Troy, its queen, Hecuba, had become the slave of Odysseus and her daughter Polyxena is taken away to be slain on the grave of Achilles. However, in the Euripides play "Hecuba" it is the earlier death of another child, Polydorus that provides the motivation for what comes to pass. This was a child who had been sent for safety to the Thracian Chersonese. But now, after Hecuba hears of the death of Polyxena, the body of Polydorus washes up on shore. Apparently Hecuba's son-in-law Polymnester murdered the boy for the gold, which King Priam had sent to pay for his education. Agamemnon hears Hecuba's pleas, and Polymnester is allowed to visit the queen before she is taken away into captivity.

The most fascinating aspect of "Hecuba" is that it gives us an opportunity to contrast the character of the queen of fallen Troy in this play by Euripides with that in "Trojan Women." This play was performed ten years earlier and its events take place right before the other play as well, although there is some overlap when Talthybius informs Hecuba of the death of Polyxena. In both dramas Hecuba is a woman driven by a brutal and remorseless desire for vengeance; however she proves much more successful in this drama than she does in "Trojan Women."Hecuba has harsh words for Helen, as in the other play, but her son Paris receives his fair share of approbation as well. This play also makes reference to the myth that Hecuba would meet her own hideous death, which reinforces the idea that there is much more of a moral degradation of her character in this play.

"The Trojan Women" is the most famous of the anti-war plays of Euripides.About 416 B.C. the island of Melos refused to aid Athens in the war against Sparta. The Athenians then slaughtered the men and enslaved the women and children, an atrocity never before inflicted on one Greek city-state by another. As preparations were made for the ruinous expedition against Syracuse, Euripides wrote "The Trojan Women," as a plea for peace. Consequently there is a strong rhetorical dimension to the play, which prophesies that a Greek force would sail across the sea after violating victims and meet with disaster. However, there the play also has a strong literary consideration in that the four Trojan Women--Hecuba, Queen of Troy; Cassandra, daughter of Hecuba and Priestess of Apollo; Andromache, widow of Hector; and Helen--all appear in the final chapter of Homer's epic poem the "Iliad," mourning over the corpse of Hector, retrieved by his father Priam from the camp of the Acheans.

This tragedy clearly reflects the cynicism of Euripides. Of all the Achean leaders in Homer only Menelaus, husband of Helen, appears. He appears, ready to slay Helen for having abandoned him to run off to Troy with Paris, but we see his anger melt before her beauty and soothing tones. In this play the Greeks do more than enslave women: they slaughter children. Even the herald of the Greeks, Talthybius, cannot stomach the policies of his people, but is powerless to do anything other than offer hollow words of sympathy. The tragedy also reminds us that while we think of Helen as "the face that launched a thousand ships," she was a despised figure amongst the ancient Greeks and there is no satisfaction in her saving her life. The idea that all of these men died just so that she could be returned to the side of her husband is an utter mockery of the dead."The Trojan Women" has the honor of being the first great anti-war play in Western civilization.

"Andromache," about the widow of Hector, is one of the weakest of the extant plays of Euripides. The work is better considered as anti-Spartan propaganda, written circa 426 B.C. near the beginning of the Peloponnesian War.The scenes are much more episodic than we usually find in Euripides; the first part of the tragedy is essentially a supplicant play, but then it changes dramatically. The play has one of Euripides' strongest beginnings, with its strong attacks on Sparta, represented by Menelaus. But even as propaganda Euripides elevates his subject for what he sees is not merely a war between two cities, but rather a clash between two completely different ways of life.

Once again, Euripides uses the Trojan War as a context for his political argument. Andromache, the widow of Hector, is the slave of Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, who is married to Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. The setting is the Temple of Thetis, the mother of Achilles, somewhere between Pithia and Pharasalia in Thessaly. Andromache has born Neoptolemus a son, and the barren Hermione accuses the Trojan woman of having used witchcraft and seeks her death. Andromache has taken refuge as this temple where Hermione and Menelaus try to get her to come out by threatening to kill her son. However, the title character disappears from the play and everybody from Peleus, the father of Achilles, to Orestes, the cousin of Hermione, shows up, mainly to talk about Neoptolemus, who is at Delphi. Thetis shows up as the deus-ex-machina and the play ends rather abruptly.The play works more as anti-Spartan propaganda than as a tragedy since there is little here beyond a progression of characters talking about doing things they end up not doing.This is the weakest of the extant plays of Euripides, but with all three works collected in a single volume this makes an excellent complementary text for those studying Homer's "Iliad," especially since Euripides was apparently the only ancient playwright who was willing to take on the characters of Homer's epic poem. ... Read more

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This third and final volume brings to completion James Diggle's major new edition of all the surviving plays of Euripides. It supersedes the third volume of Murray's Oxford Text of 1909. The work is based on new collations of all the relevant manuscripts and incorporates many new ideas for the improvement of the text suggested by recent scholars and the editor himself. ... Read more

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Euripidis Fabulae Tomus III: Helena, Phoenissae, Orestes, Bacchae, Iphigenia Aulidensis, Rhesus
In English, Euripides: Tragedies, Volume III: Helen, Phoenician Women, Orestes, Bacchae, Iphigeneia in Aulis, Rhesos. Standard Oxford Classical Text edition of Euripides' late plays (and the Rhesos, which may be early Euripides or may be a later play that came to be confused with a play of Euripides), in Greek with Latin frontmatter and title, as edited by the widely respected Euripides textual scholar James Diggle. This is not so much a review as an attempt to correct the inaccurate title.

Diggle's edition of Euripides for Oxford Classical Texts
This edition is superb, a worthy successor to its immediate predecessor, Gilbert Murray's, which of course had to be brought up to date and is now richly, usefully, and definitively supplanted. Diggle is a consummate textual critic--and (icing on the cake) a winsome latinist. ... Read more

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One of the greatest playwrights of Ancient Greece, the works of Euripides (484 406 BC) were revolutionary in their depiction of tragic events caused by flawed humanity, and in their use of the gods as symbols of human nature. The three plays 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 exchange for that of her husband; cast as a tragedy, it contains passages of satire 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. ... Read more

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*Revised Translation Edition*
This is Philip Vellacott's highly acclaimed translation of Alcestis, Hippolytis and Iphigenia in Taurus.

They were originally translated in the '50's, but revised in the '70's.Both versions are almost identical for the most part, but the changes Vellacott made have more fluidity and are more speakable than his earlier version which contain an "air" of romantic archaic-ness.(I personally prefer his original translation mind you).

I think Vellacott's translations of Euripides are the best on the market, (more than the Loeb, and the Oxford editions) and this is why I keep coming back to his versions.

He makes us feel, see and hear everything going on in a Euripidean play than it is truly an amazing experience! ... Read more

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This title includes introduction and notes by Robin Mitchell-Boyask. ... Read more

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Superb Translation -- Miniature text on Kindle
This is considered one of the best translations of Medea. However the text of the play is very small on the Kindle and cannot be enlarged sufficiently. The introduction has large text.

As Described
The item was exactly as described and sent in a an expeditious manner.Would do business with this source again. ... Read more

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One of antiquity's greatest poets, Euripides (ca. 485-406 BCE) has been prized in every age for the pathos, terror, surprising plot twists, and intellectual probing of his dramatic creations. Here, in the third volume of a new edition that is receiving much praise, are four of his plays.

Suppliant Women reflects on war and on the rule of law. Euripides' Electra--presenting the famous legend of a brother and sister who seek revenge on their mother for killing their father--is a portrayal interestingly different from that of Aeschylus or Sophocles. Heracles shows the malice of the gods--and mutual loyalty as the human response to divinely sent disaster. And the theme of the tragic unpredictability of life is developed in Trojan Women.David Kovacs gives us a freshly edited Greek text and a new translation that, in the words of Greece and Rome, is "close to the Greek and reads fluently and well." ... Read more

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Orestes and Other Plays provides new translations of Ion, Orestes, The Phoenician Women and The Suppliant Women, plays that all explore ethical and political themes. Ion vividly portrays the role of chance in human life and the dynamics of family relationships.
In Orestes, the most popular of the tragedian's plays about the ancient world, Euripides explores the emotional consequences of Orestes' murder of his mother on the individuals concerned, and makes the tale resonate with advice to Athens about the threat to democracy posed by political pressure groups. The Suppliant Women is a commentary on the politics of empire, as the Athenian king Theseus decides to use force of arms rather than persuasion against Thebes.The Phoenician Women transforms the terrible conflict between Oedipus' sons into one of the most savage indictments of civil war in Western literature by highlighting the personal tragedy it brings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not to be ignored
Euripedes is too often an afterthought of Greek tragedy.Part of the reason is that the plays are very much tied up with the political environment of the time, part is that so little of the dialogue of the characters can be taken at face value, and sadly, a significant part of the neglect is from the fact that there is more of Euripedes left to read than Sophocles or Aeschylus.He's tougher to sum up or put on as a reading laurel.

None of those are good reasons for passing him over.Euripedes is astonishingly modern.Characters behave like actual flawed and greedy people.The political analysis of crowd mentality and fear mongering is very insightful - this volume is a very powerful study of the post 9/11 years if read that way.There's just a lot going on.

This particular translation is worth twice the money just for the introduction.Vellacott does a great job of describing the political situation relevant at the performance of each play.Even more important, the readings of the play are very sophisticated, often rescuing plays from mediocre critical analysis.An enjoyable thing to do is to read Cliff's Notes interpretation after reading Vellacott, and then throwing them away.

Amazing Vellacott!
What a shame that no one has written a review of Vellacott's Penguin edition of "Orestes and Other Plays".

These 6 plays are essential in Eurpipidean and Vellacott-ian studies!

They are amazing versions, the best on the market after comparing them to multiple other versions.

Vellacott includes fantastic introdutions and notes to: Orestes, Phoenecian Women, Suppliant Women, Children of Heracles, Andromache and Iphigenia in Aulis.

Like I said in my other review, Vellacott and Penguin brought Euripides into our modern world, and it is really to him that we are able to appreciate the Great Euripides! ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Hippolytus makes the mistake of scorning the goddess of love
"Hippolytus" is set at the palace of Theseus at Troezen, where on each side are statutes of the goddesses Aphrodite and Artemis. This classic Greek tragedy by Euripides opens with Aphrodite declaring her power over all mankind and her intention to ruin Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, because he alone has had the audacity to scorn love. Instead, the young prince has devoted himself to hunting and Artemis, the chaste goddess of the hunt. As the instrument of Hippolytus' downfall, Aphrodite selects his stepmother Phaedra, by making her fall in love with him.

What becomes interesting in Euripides' telling of the tale is how Phaedra resists the will of Aphrodite, having resolved to starve herself to death rather than ever reveal her infatuation. However, Phaedra's secret is revealed when in a state of semidelerium she confesses to her nurse. The nurse, out of love for Phaedra, tries to solicit an appropriate response from Hippolytus, who is horrified that his stepmother wants him as her lover. Mortified that her secret is now known, Phaedra hands herself, but trying to spare the reputation of her children she leaves a note accusing Hippolytus of having tried to rape her. When Theseus returns from a long journey only to find his wife dead at her own hand and his son implicated in her suicide, he pronounces a deadly curse upon Hippolytus.

Ironically, despite the tragic fate that awaits him, Hippolytus is not a sympathetic figure. Certainly his devotion to Artemis does not require him to spurn the ways of love and an Athenian audience would not look kindly upon him as a martyr to the idea of chastity. Of course, this is a story by Euripides, which means readers have to look for another level of meaning. In this regards "Hippolytus" is similar to "Medea." The latter dealt with how the Greeks in general and the Athenians in particular viewed foreigners, while the former deals with the stigma of illegitimacy. After all, Hippolytus is the bastard son of Theseus and the Queen of the Amazons. Consequently, it seems reasonable that Hippolytus has a real hatred for Aphrodite since it was the goddess of love who was responsible for the illegitimacy that makes him unlike other men. Meanwhile, Phaedra becomes the truly tragic character in the tale, who has her dignity taken away from her by a vengeful goddess and a friend with the best of intentions, surely as potent a combination of dangerous characters as you can find in literature.

Another consideration is the portrayal of Theseus, generally accounted the wisest and best of the heroes of classical mythology. Yet in this story the man whose objectivity and sense of fairness made him give Oedipus a resting place (at least as the tale is told by Sophocles in "Oedipus at Colonus") gives way to an angry impulse worthy of Heracles. If we take into account how highly the Athenians esteemed Theseus, then "Hippolytus" again shows the frequent trend in Euripides' plays to attack the city-state in which he lived. It is this implicit critique of Theseus that Jean-Baptiste Racine makes more central to the tale in his Neo-Classical version of the story, "Phaedra." These two plays, "Hippolytus" and "Phaedra," make a very interesting analog for students of drama, classical or otherwise, looking at how the telling and retelling of a tale can reflect the changing societies in which such stories are told.Seneca's version of "Phaedra" can be used towards this end as well. ... Read more

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Written during a period overshadowed by the fierce struggle for supremacy between Sparta and Euripides' native Athens, these five plays are haunted by the shadow of war - and in particular its impact on women. In "Electra" the children of Agamemnon take bloody revenge on their mother for murdering their father after his return from Troy, and "Suppliant Women" depicts the grieving mothers of those killed in battle. The other plays deal with the aftermath of the Trojan War for the defeated survivors, as "Andromache" shows Hector's widow as a trophy of war in the house of her Greek captor, and "Hecabe" portrays a defeated queen avenging the murder of her last-remaining son, while "Trojan Women" tells of the plight of the city's women in the hands of their victors. ... Read more

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To make Medea more accessible for the modern reader, our Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary of the more difficult words, as well as convenient sidebar notes to enlighten the reader on aspects that may be confusing or overlooked. In doing this, it is our intention that the reader may more fully enjoy the beauty of the verse, the wisdom of the insights, and the impact of the drama. Witch, barbarian, foreigner, or a woman wronged and committed to the most horrific kind of justice, Medea is a heroine who makes her audience shudder. Euripides shows us an astonishingly strong female protagonist, whom some readers have identified as the first feminist in Western literature. Seeing where her strength leads her, though, we must wonder if she was intended to be portrayed a model or as a warning. Because the three other plays that were traditionally performed with Medea have been lost, it is difficult to say whether EuripidesÂ’ Athenian audience was as upset by the play as modern readers are. It won only third place at the biggest festival in the city, indicating that ancient audiences also found it controversial. With its still-relevant examination of marriage, love, and revenge, and its explicit scenes of mental and emotional agony, Medea continues to demand our attention. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great edition for beginners
Medea was a wonderful story, but this review is just about this edition, the Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic. These editions are mainly made for middle and high school students, and they are very easy to understand.

I've only just started reading ancient Greek literature, and this edition filled in all the gaps for me that I would not have otherwise understood. In the back of the book, there is a 2-page summary on Medea's husband Jason and how their marriage came about, which was extremely helpful for me because I did not know anything about that. The pages of the book are very pretty and all have the picture of Medea that is on the front cover on them.There is also a helpful little glossary in the back for the back with very detailed definitions. In the front of the book, there are reading pointers that set the stage for the story that is about to be read and that talk about some of the main themes of the play. There are footnotes in the margins, which is much more convenient than having to flip to the back of the book on every other page. This translation is also very quick-paced and easy to understand.

However, I went in this as a beginner to Greek lit, so the footnotes, which told very basic things were helpful to me. But, if you are already learned about this period, you may find some of the notes a nuisance. I love reading books from the 18th and 19th century, and sometimes when I read the Prestwick copy of those books, I think, "How can one know that?," so only get this copy if you have not read much Greek literature. Also, while the extras in this book helped me, they are nearly as insightful as, say, the Penguin editions.

As for the book itself, Medea was an amazing story, and I loved reading it. Even if this book contained no extras, it would definitely be worth it to buy it for the story alone - especially at this meager price.

"Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd."
Having given up home and family and virtually everything else to help Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece, Medea was stunned when Jason arranged to leave her and marry the rich and beautiful daughter of the queen of Corinth. But, Medea is a proud and capable woman, and she will not allow those that would abuse her to triumph in their plans. With cunning and resolve, she lays a plan so terrible that everyone around her will suffer her revenge, mostly Jason, the father of her children.

The Athenian playwright Euripides first saw his play, Medea, performed in 431 B.C. The play won third prize. But, that same play is now considered to have been one of the greatest works of Western literature to have ever been produced.

The story is powerful, with a brooding gloom hanging over it, as you, like the chorus, know what is going to happen and watch it with the same horror as watching a train wreck unfold. I liked how you knew what was going to happen, seeing the crime in all its cold-blooded terror. Euripides was indeed a genius, and I highly recommend this play to anyone who wants to know what great literature really is.

In his 1697 play, The mourning bride, William Congreve wrote, "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd." But, it had all happened before...long before. I highly recommend this classic!

Amazing
The book was in excellent condition and it was a joy to read! It was a quick and easy read. If you enjoy scandal, murder, and women overpowering men, then this is the book for you! ... Read more

Product Description
From the renowned contemporary American poet C. K. Williams comes this fluent and accessible version of the great tragedy by Euripides.

This book includes an introduction by Martha Nussbaum.
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Customer Reviews (2)

A authentic Greek Tragedy
This is a fabulous version of The Bacchae.The feeling is completely tragic, but insightful into how the Greeks saw and explained life.Appearances are not always what they seem in The Bacchae.This book inspired me to read more Greek Tragedy and to buy the book "Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greek."I wanted to understand more theory in regards to tragedy after reading this book.Even if you just read it for fun, it will leave you awe struck in the end.

The Most Aweful I've Yet to Read
While I haven't read much Greek tragedy, and this is my first Euripides play, the Bacchae is the most aweful I've yet to read. The fury of a god spurned by his family and city had me entranced in awe. I still can't quite understand it. I just had to be still and let its terrible beauty wash over me -- to experience it. I imagine that the audience at its first performance was full of fear and trembling.

These feelings of attraction and revulsion seem appropriate for a god like Dionysus, a god who seems to embrace opposites. The surging, green life of the vine which dies and is cut back, only to send forth green shoots of new life. The joys of his revels which can slip into madness. . .

The danger and messiness of life. While you don't neccessarily have to embrace this verity, it must be acknowledged or you will slip into madness and death. These are the gifts of the god to those who deny him.

"Then, at last,
he'll know; Dionysus is a god.
Dionysus is the son of Zeus.
Doinysus is, for humans, fiercest and most sweet."

After this declamation the god leaves the stage and the chorus expands upon it in some of the most beautiful and appealing language I've encountered in Greek tragedy:

"On, will I, some-
time, in the all-
night dances, dance
again, bare-
foot, rapt,
again, in
Bacchus,
again?

Will I
throw my bared
throat
back, to the cool
night back, the
way,
oh, in the green joys
of the meadow, the
way
a fawn
frisks, leaps,
throws itself
as it finds itself
safely past
the frightening
hunters, past the
nets, the
houndsmen
urging on
their straining
hounds, free
now, leaping, tasting
free wind now,
BEING wind
now as it leaps
the plain, the
stream
and river, out
at last, out from
the human,
free, back,
into the
green,
rich, dapple-
shadowed tresses of the
forest."

Freedom, joy in nature, and giving onself over to these things unreservedly are indeed most sweet for humans. I suppose the hunters who threaten these things are what bring out the fierceness of the following lines:

"What is
wisdom?
What
the fairest
gift the gods
can offer
us
below?
What
is nobler
than
to hold
a dominating
hand
above
the bent
head of
the enemy?
The fair, the
noble, how
we
cherish, how
we welcome
them."

From freedom and frisking to dominating your enemy, and this is wisdom! It is certainly fearsome. How do you contain it? Who knows. Perhaps it is not to be contained. Perhaps trying to contain it is The problem. It sure does not seem to be any way to run a civilization. And round and round we go, and I'm not sure if the play presents us with any answers except . . . maybe . . .

Don't deny the gods. Give them their due. Give them their due or you will be ripped to shreds. Whew. Hard stuff indeed.

Part of the reason for the extensive chorus quote was to show how this translation deals with the chorus lines. I first read the Nicholas Rudall translation of this play and I just went galumphing along through his chorus sections. The way Williams strings out the words forced me to slow down and really chew on the words, and I finally saw the beauty of the play's chorus in this translation.

Besides having a translation that sings to my ears, this book also features an informative and extensive introduction by Martha Nussbaum that I found to be most interesting and enlightening.

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