Matthew Lloyd’s Reviews > The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides > Status Update

People are always saying that Dionysos is like this subversive rebel, but in The Bacchae he's kind of a religious conservative forcing everyone to worship properly and do what he says.

Classical Greek literature is extremely harsh about Helen, so I'm glad that Euripides' 'Helen' exists to show a more positive attitude toward her. That being said, I'd prefer it if it didn't have to use the 'eidolon' story to rewrite the traditional myth about her. I also think it barely touches on the most interesting aspect of the 'the Trojan War was about nothing' storyline, to be completely honest.

I used to think Hippolytus was an arsehole, and I do still think that, but I'm open to the interpretation that he's being persecuted for failing to meet the requirements of mainstream religion

Euripides' 'Alcestis' offers the weird situation in which the nicest guy in Greek tragedy is dealing with the consequences of asking his wife to die instead of him. It's a little like an ancient trolley problem, asking whose life is worth more - a parent or an adult child; a husband or a wife? But also, on the virtue of doing something good for powerful friends, if Herakles happens to stop by while you're mourning.

When Medea wants to murder her ex's new girl, the Chorus is like "this is justice"; but when Medea wants to murder her own children, all of a sudden the Chorus is like "that's the worst thing you could possibly do." Guess they don't support other women, after all.