Medea and Other Plays

Medea and Other Plays - Paperback

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Medea and Other Plays
  • Medea and Other Plays
Medea and Other Plays - Paperback

Medea and Other Plays - Paperback

by Euripides
$11.00
$11.00

Book Overview

by Euripides (Author), Philip Vellacott (Translator), Philip Vellacott (Introduction by)

Four plays which exemplify his interest in flawed, characters who defy the expectations of Greek society

The 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.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Author Biography

Euripides was an Athenian born in 484BC. A member of a family of considerable rank, he disliked performing the public duties expected of him, preferring a life of introspection. He was not a popular figure, and at some point (and for a reason unknown) he went into voluntary exile at the court of Archelaus, King of Macedon. He died c.407BC and is thought to have written around ninety-two plays, of which seventeen survive.

Number of Pages: 208
Dimensions: 0.51 x 7.78 x 5.06 IN
Publication Date: August 30, 1963
ISBN9780140441291
Author Euripides
PublisherPenguin Classics
GenreLiterature, Relationships, and Drama
FormatPaperback
PublishedAugust 1963
LanguageENG- English
Pages208
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Drama Family & Relationships Literary Collections Nonfiction

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More by Euripides

Medea

Medea - Paperback

Medea - Paperback

By Euripides and Kathy McKean

About Euripides

Caroline Bird has been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize twice & has also won an Eric Gregory Award (2002), the Foyle Young Poet of the Year award two years running (1999, 2000), was a winner of the Poetry London Competition in 2007, and the Peterloo Poetry Competition in 2004, 2003 and 2002. Caroline was on the shortlist for Shell Woman Of The Future Awards 2011. Caroline's poems have been published in several anthologies, including Oxford Poetry 2008, and are published regularly in PN Review, Poetry Review, The North magazine. A member of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, Caroline is also a playwright. In 2011, Caroline's contribution was included in Bush Theatre's project Sixty-Six Books.

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