Medea and Other Plays

Penguin, London, 2000. Later Edition. Softcover. Good Condition. Four plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek societyThe 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....................Euripides was an Athenian born in 484BC. A member of a family of considerable rank, he disliked performing the public duties expected of him, preferring a life of introspection. He was not a popular figure, and at some point (and for a reason unknown) he went into voluntary exile at the court of Archelaus, King of Macedon. He died c.407BC and is thought to have written around ninety-two plays, of which seventeen survive. Trade Paperback. Size: 180mm - 250mm. 205 pages. Covers have some shelf-wear as well as some bumping to corners and extremities. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Theatre & Plays; History. ISBN: 0140441298. ISBN/EAN: 9780140441291. Inventory No: 52105. . 9780140441291