Books with author Euripides

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.

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.

"Using to the full the last half century's great accessions to the comparative study of religion, [Dodds] has given a coherent and convincing reconstruction of the Dionysiac background-and, indeed, foreground-of the play, illustrating it with many instructive non-Greek and modern parallels. . . . Equally instructive and stimulating is the acute analysis of the play's dramatic elements, its characters, scenes, conflicts, actions, speeches. . . . This edition far surpasses its predecessors in vitality, sympathy, and scope." -W.B. Stanford, Hermathena LXV. Including a comprehensive discussion of the play's background and an incisive assessment of its dramatic structure, this edition makes an outstanding contribution to Euripides scholarship.

The play begins with the introduction of Electra, the daughter of Clytemnestra and the late Agamemnon. Several years after Agamemnon’s death suitors began requesting Electra’s hand in marriage. Out of fear that Electra’s child might seek revenge, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus married her off to a peasant of Mycenae. The peasant is kind to her and has respected her family name and her virginity. In return for his kindness, Electra helps her husband with the household chores. Despite her appreciation for her husband’s kindness, Electra resents being cast out of her house and laments to the Chorus about her struggles with her drastic change in social status.

Bacchae written by legendary Athenian playwright Euripides is widely considered to be one of the top Greek tragedies of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Bacchae 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 America and beautifully produced, Bacchae would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

According to Oxford University Press, ""Using to the full the last half century's great accessions to the comparative study of religion, [Dodds] has given a coherent and convincing reconstruction of the Dionysiac background--and, indeed, foreground--of the play, illustrating it with many instructive non-Greek and modern parallels.... Equally instructive and stimulating is the acute analysis of the play's dramatic elements, its characters, scenes, conflicts, actions, speeches.... This edition far surpasses its predecessors in vitality, sympathy, and scope."--W.B. Stanford, Hermathena LXV. Including a comprehensive discussion of the play's background and an incisive assessment of its dramatic structure, this edition makes an outstanding contribution to Euripides scholarship."

Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Under the general editorship of the late William Arrowsmith and Herbert Golder, each volume includes a critical introduction, commentary on the text, full stage directions, and a glossary of the mythical and geographical references in the plays. This vital translation of Euripides' Electra recreates the prize-winning excitement of the original play. Electra, obsessed by dreams of avenging her father's murder, impatiently awaits the return of her exiled brother Orestes. When he arrives, the play mounts toward its first climax, a tender recognition scene. From that moment on, Electra uses Orestes as her instrument of vengeance. They kill their mother's husband, then their mother herself--and only afterward see the evil inherent in these seemingly just acts. But in his usual fashion, Euripides has imbued myth with the reality of human experience, counterposing suspense and horror with comic realism and down-to-earth comments on life. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

This edition of The Electra by Euripides contains the authoritative translation by revered classics scholar Gilbert Murray, who introduces and renders the text comprehensible for the modern reader. Electra is the daughter of the renowned Greek general Agamemnon. Her sister, Iphigeneia, was sacrificed to Artemis - the Goddess of the Hunt - prior to the commencement of the play. Despite the sacrifice permitting his armies to sail to Troy, it aroused deep resentment in his wife Clytemnestra. After the Greek campaign was complete, Clytemnestra and her new lover Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. Fearing vengeance, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus married Electra to a kindly and respectful peasant in Mycenae. It is here that the chain of events in the tragedy opens, with Orestes - the estranged brother of Electra - soon entering the picture with an eye for determining whether Electra carries an appetite for revenge upon her murdering mother and stepfather. A keenly written tragedy poignant for its setting deep within the myths of Greek antiquity, and its exploration of the notion of vengeance, the Electra remains a well-regarded play of Euripides. It is also notable for receiving an Oscar-nominated motion picture adaptation in 1962.