Alcestis/Medea/Hippolytus

by Euripides, Diane Arnson Svarlien (Translator)

This new volume of three of Euripides' most celebrated plays offers graceful, economical, metrical translations that convey the wide range of effects of the playwright's verse, from the idiomatic speech of its dialogue to the high formality of its choral odes.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Drama, Mythology, Tragedy, School, Literature

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 439

About the author

Euripides (Greek: Ευριπίδης) (ca. 480 BC–406 BC) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him, but the Suda says it was ninety-two at most. Of these, eighteen or nineteen have survived more or less complete (Rhesus is suspect). There are many fragments (some substantial) of most of his other plays. More of his plays have survived intact than those of Aeschylus and Sophocles together, partly because his popularity grew as theirs declined—he became, in the Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone of ancient literary education, along with Homer, Demosthenes, and Menander.
Euripides is identified with theatrical innovations that have profoundly influenced drama down to modern times, especially in the representation of traditional, mythical heroes as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This new approach led him to pioneer developments that later writers adapted to comedy, some of which are characteristic of romance. He also became "the most tragic of poets", focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown. He was "the creator of ... that cage which is the theatre of William Shakespeare's Othello, Jean Racine's Phèdre, of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg," in which "imprisoned men and women destroy each other by the intensity of their loves and hates". But he was also the literary ancestor of comic dramatists as diverse as Menander and George Bernard Shaw.
His contemporaries associated him with Socrates as a leader of a decadent intellectualism. Both were frequently lampooned by comic poets such as Aristophanes. Socrates was eventually put on trial and executed as a corrupting influence. Ancient biographies hold that Euripides chose a voluntary exile in old age, dying in Macedonia, but recent scholarship casts doubt on these sources.

Reviews

[Jorge Morcillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da igual las veces que se relean estas obras de Eurípides: siempre sorprenden. Siempre hay una frase que te hace pensar y crecer.

Más moderno que muchos dramaturgos actuales.

[Lynnette Stubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Medea: The more books I read of Antiquity the more disturbed I become. Despite the surprisingly modern thoughts and ideas presented regarding the roles of men and women spoken by Medea herself....It was hard to look past the graphic descriptions of murder, the mentally insane mother who kills her own children to get back at her former husband, and the constant talk about sex. The only positive thing I got out of this was the importance placed upon keeping your word, and the Honor and "blessings" that follow.

[Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medea: marvelous translation, very readable, digestible, and easy for students to read. She has a way of making it modern but yet sticks to the original intentions of the playwright.

[del]

I only managed to read the first play in the collection (Alcestis) but I found it difficult to enjoy because the translation was so awkward and modern.

[Anto Pujol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tres libros en uno Alcestis Medea e Hipólito. La verdad es que entiendo por qué dicen que Eurípides es machista porque las tres historias reflejan bastante odio hacia la figura de la mujer o la representan de una forma odiosa.

En la primera obra al cestis coma Alcestis es la esposa de un hombre que ha decidido sortear la muerte pero a cambio alguien tiene que dar su vida por él y dado que sus pads ni su padre ni su madre quieren hacerlo es alcesis quien finalmente da su vida por él. Hay una escena en la que tiene una discusión con su hijo porque el el hijo acusa al Padre por haber dejado que su madre muera por él. Al final en esta obra se ve la figura de la mujer perfecta porque está muerta o porque se sacrifica totalmente por su hombre en punto pero al final aparece Heracles y e impide la muerte de Alcestis.

La segunda Medea presenta a una mujer que cuando su marido la deja para estar con otra mujer ella decide provocarle daño a través matando a su a los hijos que tienen en común.

La tercera Hipólito muestra una mujer que se enamora de del hijo de su marido y dado que Hipólito el hijo es un casto seguidor de Artemisa no la puede aceptar y la rechaza y ella se suicida y hace una carta diciéndole al padre que ha sido el hijo el que la ha llevado a esta la ha intentado seducir y la ha llevado a esta situación. El padre cuando lo descubre maldice al hijo y de y lo y lo matan y y aparece Artemisa y de le descubre al padre que esto no había sido así sino que había sido Fedra quien se había enamorado de Hipólito y había y se había inventado lo de la carta.

Me gusta como están escritas y el drama que representan pero es cierto que frente a otros personajes femeninos míticos como Antígona coma estos tres bastante aborrecibles.

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all of these plays by Euripides! Alcestis, Medea, and Hippolytus all tell amazing and timeless stories of the power that women had in Greek plays. Out of the three, I'd have to say that my favorite might've been Hippolytus. It was so shocking. Regarding the translation and notes, I really liked the notes provided at the bottom of the page throughout the plays. The translation notes really didn't appeal to me, though, and I felt like the introduction focused too much on that.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer the Hackett editions of the Greek tragedies. Good Intro, Notes at the bottom of the page, Textual Notes at the back of the volume.
This is a collection of 3 "domestic" tragedies from ancient Greece.
The stand out is "Media", of course - the translation flows VERY nicely, and a welcome modern touch to it (she calls others "idiots" and "morons" behind their backs).
And, unfortunately, shows Euripides overuse of the deux ex machina.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a banger. The introduction was amazing and by far my favorites were Alcestis and Medea. also the phrase "The breathtaking misogyny of this speech" is some of the most hilarious authors notes I've read.

It's definitely a change of pace, but the way the author and translators humor shows through in what is technically someone else's work is insane. Someone else's work being the plays themselves.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am about to drop a significant chunk of time on analyses of these three plays, I am going to keep it short: I actually like Aeschylus better than Euripides. Sue me. Please. I need something to distract me from my impending papers.

I also have an Euripides headache, which is no bueno...but at the same time, this guy. What a guy. What a writer. SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

[Melina]

Takeaways: Medea is iconic, Jason is a human trashbag, and society is always the villain even when we don’t think it is. Oh, and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known and anything we consider relevant to the healthy development of identity was very important to Euripides 1k years ago and—plot twist—is still an inherent flaw in any society today .

[Jordi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especialmente con Medea e Hipólito creo que el autor alcanza el nivel del maestro Sófocles. Si bien los estilos divergen (Eurípides es más cercano que sus predecesores), resulta esencial para valorar las tragedias la selección de temas. En este sentido, más que la obra en sí, lo que me atrae es el trasfondo mitológico.

[Ray Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

More approachable than Aeschylus and Sophocles but not as meaningful. Hippolytus and Medea are very well crafted but I would rather reread The Women of Trachis or The Persians. Great notes in this edition but I think the Lattimore series is better.

[Lhb27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Alcestis, it's a more modern translation that is easy to read by somehow having Pheres declare Alcestis "a moron" seemed a bit strange.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

These translations are really rough.

[Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

We only read Medea and Hippolytus. Getting a lot of the woman-hating vibes off of these and the last few. I am also getting a good grasp on the patterns of tragedy.

[Adam]

don't mess with Aphrodite

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for Alcestis and Hippolytus both, but 4 stars for Medea and Medea. I love her. She’s my favorite figure from Greek Mythology.

[Quang Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

euripides mpreg classic [medea] first ethical nepo baby girlboss [hippolytus] incel manifesto

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think these 2500 year old plays are more fresh then most 3 day old movies that just came out in theater. The Greeks found his plays shocking and so did I. I particularly found Medea shocking. At times his plays were hard for me to follow because I lack knowledge of Greek mythology. But I am certain his audiences would have understood that part of his plays just fine. Euripides is opaque on purpose. He does not want anyone to know what he actually believes. And that is part of his power. He gives all the different ideas, and people a spot light, and let's them have their say. There is a saying that all philosophy after Plato is just a foot note. I would say that about Euripides if I had not read Shakespeare.

The Introductory notes, and footnotes are useful. They are not in depth scholarship but I a beginner in Greek tragedy found them useful.

[Fátima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for my ancient Greek class, and then went to a roman theater to see the play. It was ok, but it didn't keep me hooked or anything.

[Patrick Braga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of reading Athenian drama; might have been more fun/interesting to watch.

[Langston Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

More tragic moments! Euripides' knowledge of history and the inner spirit are only two facets of his expansive imagination.