Medea and Other Plays

Alcestis/Medea/The Children of Heracles/Hippolytus

''One of the best prose translations of Euripides I have seen'' Robert Fagles

This selection of plays shows Euripides transforming the titanic figures of Greek myths into recognizable, fallible human beings. Medea, in which a spurned woman takes revenge upon her lover by killing her children, is one of the most shocking of all the Greek tragedies. Medea is a towering figure who demonstrates Euripides'' unusual willingness to give voice to a woman''s case. Alcestis is based on a magical myth in which Death is overcome, and The Children of Heracles examines conflict between might and right, while Hippolytus deals with self-destructive integrity.

Translated by JOHN DAVIE