Kirjahaku

This volume aims to bring together some classic essays illustrating the main strands of Euripidean criticism over the last 40 years in a form convenient for students. Two of the essays are translated here for the first time, and many others have been revised by their authors. All Greek has been translated.

Few ancient authors are as challenging as Euripides, and few have provoked so many diverse critical opinions through the ages: Aristotle described him as 'most tragic', and yet many of his plays have been condemned by critics as barely qualifying as 'proper' tragedies at all. In general he has enjoyed a revival in reputation over the last few decades: his manipulation of convention and the skill of his dramaturgy are perhaps more widely admired now than at any time since the Renaissance. Moreover, his exploration of the emotions of the marginalized sections of Athenian society - women, slaves, foreigners - has given his work strong contemporary resonances. This volume aims to bring together for students some classic essays illustrating the main strands of Euripidean criticism over the last forty years. Two of the essays are translated here for the first time, and many others have been revised by their authors. All Greek has been translated.

'Revenge is a kind of wild justice...' (Francis Bacon). Euripides' "Hecuba" is dominated by the vengeance which Hecuba takes on the faithless Polymestor, and explores in a complex and profound manner the potential for revenge as a subject for tragedy. The sacrifice of Polyxena is in counterpoint to the revenge action; the whole is set in the chaotic aftermath of the fall of Troy. The combination of plots creates one of Euripides' most effective dramas, full of pathos, suspense and excitement. This study of the play in English argues that it has been greatly undervalued by critics who have failed to appreciate the power of its rhetoric, the subtlety of its characterisation, and the beauty of its choral odes.