When I have shed her blood to requite this, then I can die content.” Orestes: “Would you be resolute to help him kill your mother?”Įlectra: “I Would- with the same axe by which my father died.

This also covered the importance of guest-friend and the heavy penalties of breaking these sacred rules. This covers the slaughter of Polyxena and the discovery of Polydorus’ death. This is set after Troy has fallen and Hecabe and her daughters are now Trojan slaves. Hecabe: 4**** ”A free man?- There’s no such thing! All men are slaves.” I just love Medea- she has done everything for love, even the darkest of actions, and Jason seems to not give a fuck. She is a woman who knows she has been wronged and wants to take her vengeance, even if it means losing those dearest to her. It demonstrates the true plight of women in Ancient Greece and the inequality they face. Medea: 5***** ”Surely, of all creatures that have life and will, we women are the most wretched.” 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. 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. 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. 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. The four tragedies collected in this volume all focus on a central character, once powerful, brought down by betrayal, jealousy, guilt and hatred. Four plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek society

Euripides medea and other plays