Euripides,John Davie,Richard Rutherford
Four plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek society,The four tragedies collected in this volume all focus on a central character, once powerful, brought down by betrayal, jealousy, guilt and hatred. The first playwright to depict suffering without reference to the gods, Euripides made his characters speak in human terms and face the consequences of their actions. In Medea, a woman rejected by her lover takes hideous revenge by murdering the children they both love, and Hecabe depicts the former queen of Troy, driven mad by the prospect of her daughterâ€™s sacrifice to Achilles. Electra portrays a young woman planning to avenge the brutal death of her father at the hands of her mother, while in Heracles the hero seeks vengeance against the evil king who has caused bloodshed in his family. Philip Vellacottâ€™s lucid translation is accompanied by an introduction, which discusses the literary background of Classical Athens and examines the distinction between instinctive and civilized behaviour.
Classics,Plays,Drama,Fiction,Fantasy,Mythology,Literature,Plays,Theatre,Academic,School,Poetry,Cultural,Greece
Medea and Other Plays