Euripides, along was Sophocles, and Aeschylus, is largely responsible for the rise of Greek tragedy. It was in the 5th Century BC, during the height of Greece’s cultural bloom, that Euripides lived and worked. Of his roughly ninety-two plays, only seventeen tragedies survive. Both ridiculed and lauded during his life, Euripides now stands as an innovator of the Greek drama. Collected here are six of Euripides’ tragedies in prose translation by Edward P. Coleridge: “Medea”, “Hippolytus”, “Hecuba”, “Electra”, “Heracles”, and “Helen”. The first play in this collection, “Medea”, tells the horrific tale of a woman who seeks revenge on her husband by killing her children. “Hippolytus” relates the tragedy of its titular character, son of Theseus, and his tragic fall at the hands of Phaedra. “Hecuba” is the tale of a fallen Queen, the grief she feels for the death of her daughter, and the revenge she takes for the murder of her son. In “Electra” we find the daughter of a slain king plotting her revenge. In “Heracles” we find a hero racing to save his family from a death sentence. Lastly, “Helen” presents an alternate tale regarding Helen of Troy than that which sparked the Trojan War. For the lover of drama and the ancient world, this collection is not to be missed—Euripides is seen here in all of his valor and brilliance. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
