List Containing Books Medea and Other Plays
| Title | : | Medea and Other Plays |
| Author | : | Euripides |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 206 pages |
| Published | : | March 27th 2003 by Penguin Books (first published -428) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Plays. Drama. Fiction. Fantasy. Mythology |
Euripides
Paperback | Pages: 206 pages Rating: 4.03 | 14085 Users | 221 Reviews
Narration Concering Books Medea and Other Plays
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.
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| Original Title: | Medea and Other Plays |
| ISBN: | 0140449299 (ISBN13: 9780140449297) |
| Edition Language: | English URL https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/286348/medea-and-other-plays-by-euripides/9780140449297/ |
| Setting: | Greece |
Rating Containing Books Medea and Other Plays
Ratings: 4.03 From 14085 Users | 221 ReviewsCriticism Containing Books Medea and Other Plays
I only read the intro and 'Medea' and not the 'Other Plays.' This Penguin Classics edition is neat because there are detailed notes throughout the play (noted at the back) explaining all sorts of stuff: how the tragedy would've been presented on stage back then, the backstory of the mythology behind it all, the critical reactions to certain passages throughout history, etc. There is ALSO a glossary at the back that explains the whos, whats and wheres of all proper nouns listed throughout theHELENIn every other Greek play, Helen is portrayed as a slut, a hussy, a mindless bimbo who uses her feminine wiles to get what she wants from men. The particularly amusing scene from the Trojan Women comes to mind when Menelaos is warned by Hecabe not to see Helen. Hecabe tells him once he lays eyes on her breasts all sense will leave him and he will take her back. This exactly happens within the next moments of the play. But in this play Helen is a virtuous woman, innocent of all the insults
It's always surprising how brutal and bloody Greek tragedies are (but: never nihilistic! The one who wrongs will be pursued by the Gods, and usually the entire bloodline is cursed)Medea: Medea is angry that her husband Jason is taking a new wife, he wants to ban her from the city as she's dangerous, she plans revenge and murders the new wife as well as her own children - since that will hurt her husband more. She survives and escapes the city with the bodies of the children.Hecabe: Ex-queen of
Crazy, nutty, bizarre. Themes of blood lust, revenge and murder abound, Euripides sheds light on the hysterical, blood thirsty, ravenous, gluttonous, emotionally unhinged world that is 400 BC Grecian society. The dialogue is incredibly camp, outrageous and grandiose. There are wickedly conniving matriarchs, comically obtuse patriarchs, pitiable child pawns, and nameless faceless members of the social underclass (the slaves, peasants etc). All this exposes the politics, culture, family units, and
MEDEA!Daughter of a King. Niece of nymph. Granddaughter of a god. Wife of a hero. How many women have you known in any literary piece ever written, in all history of humanity, who incarnate all of these blessings together in one?A fistful, maybe?Killer of her own children! ( Ok. Now you are definitely left with ONE only.)MEDEA! A symbol. A metaphor. A precedent. A uniqueness. ONE and only in millennia. What else can one say.
I only read the intro and 'Medea' and not the 'Other Plays.' This Penguin Classics edition is neat because there are detailed notes throughout the play (noted at the back) explaining all sorts of stuff: how the tragedy would've been presented on stage back then, the backstory of the mythology behind it all, the critical reactions to certain passages throughout history, etc. There is ALSO a glossary at the back that explains the whos, whats and wheres of all proper nouns listed throughout the
IMO the ending of Alcestis would have been better had it not been resolved with such a bow. The discussions of duty, guilt, and recrimination were quite great, then boom! Deus ex machina. I was also intrigued by how sympathetically Medea is portrayed for 90% of her play.
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