Medea and Other Plays

Medea, Hecabe, Electra, Heracles

Plot

That proud, impassioned soul, so ungovernable now that she has felt the sting of injustice� �Medea�, in which a spurned woman takes revenge upon her lover by killing her children, is one of the most shocking and horrific of all the Greek tragedies. Dominating the play is Medea herself, a towering and powerful figure who demonstrates Euripides� unusual willingness to give voice to a woman�s case. �Alcestis�, a tragicomedy, is based on a magical myth in which Death is overcome, and �The Children of Heracles� examines the conflict between might and right, while �Hippolytus� deals with self-destructive integrity and moral dilemmas. These plays show Euripides transforming the awesome figures of Greek mythology into recognizable, fallible human beings. John Davie�s accessible prose translation is accompanied by a general introduction and individual prefaces to each play. Previously published as Alcestis and Other Plays