Synopses & Reviews
Innovative, fast-moving, subtle in their characterization, Euripides' plays are continually intriguing. The three plays in this volume straddle the borders between comedy and tragedy. Alkestis is a moving "romance" with parallels to Shakespeare's The Winter Tale. Helen, an alternative version of the myth of the Trojan War, shows Helen, an innocent victim of her own beauty, hidden in Egypt by the gods while her image has been abducted by Paris. Ion presents a poignant picture of childlessness and the abandoned child. These new translations by J. Michael Walton and Kenneth McLeish are intended both for performer and student.
Synopsis
Published in the new Methuen Classical Dramatists series
The three plays in this volume straddle the borders between comedy and tragedy. Alkestis is a moving "romance" with death; it has parallels to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. Helen, an alternative version of the tragic portrayal of the Trojan War, shows Helen "relocated in a delightful comedy" (Observer) - as an innocent victim of her own beauty, hidden in Egypt by the gods while her image has been abducted by Paris. In Ion, a father who thought he was childless discovers his son, and a son who thought he was motherless finds his mother.
Synopsis
The three plays in this volume straddle the borders between comedy and tragedy. Alkestis is a moving "romance" with death; it has parallels to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. Helen, an alternative version of the tragic portrayal of the Trojan War, shows Helen "relocated in a delightful comedy" (Observer) - as an innocent victim of her own beauty, hidden in Egypt by the gods while her image has been abducted by Paris. In Ion, a father who thought he was childless discovers his son, and a son who thought he was motherless finds his mother.
About the Author
Euripides was born near Athens circa 480 BC and grew up during the years of the Athenian recovery after the Persian Wars. His first play was presented in 455 BC and he wrote some hundred altogether of which nineteen survived. He died in 406 BC at the court of the King of Macedon.