The Bacchae and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Euripides

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140447261 ISBN 13: 9780140447262

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2006

Synopsis

Through their sheer range, daring innovation, flawed but eloquent characters and intriguing plots, the plays of Euripides have shocked and stimulated audiences since the fifth century BC. Phoenician Women portrays the rival sons of King Oedipus and their mother's doomed attempts at reconciliation, while Orestes shows a son ravaged with guilt after the vengeful murder of his mother. In the Bacchae, a king mistreats a newcomer to his land, little knowing that he is the god Dionysus disguised as a mortal, while in Iphigenia at Aulis, the Greek leaders take the horrific decision to sacrifice a princess to gain favour from the gods in their mission to Troy. Finally, the Rhesus depicts a world of espionage between the warring Greek and Trojan camps.

About this title

About the Author:

EURIPIDES (C.484-406 B.C.) was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles; he is the youngest of the three. He is believed to have written 92 dramas, but only 19 of them are now known.

John Davie is Head of Classics at St Paul's School in London.
Richard Rutherford is Tutor in Greek and Latin Literature at Christ Church, Oxford.

From the Back Cover:

Euripides (c.484-406 B.C.) was the most controversial of the three great Greek tragedians and the most modern. His major themes- religious scepticism, the injustices suffered by women and the destructive folly of war-are issues still vitally important today.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0140447261
• ISBN 13: 9780140447262
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432