Other Fiction Euripides: The Trojan Women. v1, 7 Apr 2017

[AlexBell]

Euripides was born in Athens about 480 BC, and lived there until moving to Macedon late in life where he died in 406 BC. He is said to have been a schoolfellow of Socrates, and was the third of the great Athenian tragedians.

Aristophanes ridiculed him and he won few prizes at drama festivals, perhaps because he questioned religious beliefs, but he was revered by Roman and Renaissance writers.

The Trojan Women was first performed in 415 BC, and covers the few hours after the sack of Troy by the Greeks. There is very little plot or action; the murder of Hekabe's infant grandson takes place offstage. Neither is there much character development apart from the Greek herald Talthybius developing enough sympathy for the Trojan Women to regret that he is party to their suffering. The play is instead a harrowing account of the suffering experienced by civilians in war, and the inability or unwillingness of the gods to protect them.

The source text is a prose translation provided by George Theodoridis of Melbourne University. He retains the copyright, has given me permission to use the translation and stage directions in his text, and has reviewed the ebook.

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[litemotif]

Thanks for another classic, Alex.

[DavScoMur]

Dude, your editions are awesome. Thank you so much.

[AlexBell]

Thanks to you both. Much of the praise should go to George Theodoridis, the translator, who was very helpful.