Medea And Other Plays

Author(s): Euripides

∙ Classics & Latin

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 daughter'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 Vellacott'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. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Euripides (c.485-406 BC) is thought to have written 92 plays, only 18 of which survive. John Davie is Head of Classics at St Paul's School in London. Richard Rutherford is Tutor in Classics at Christ Church, Oxford.

General Fields

  • : 9780140449297
  • : Penguin UK
  • : Penguin
  • : 0.194
  • : July 2004
  • : 198mm X 129mm X 15mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Euripides
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : very good
  • : 256
  • : notes, bibliography, glossary