Euripides

Euripides Biography

Euripides was born circa 480 BCE on Salamis Island but lived the majority of his life in Athens. The 5th century in which Euripides lived is known as the Classical Age of Athens.

Legend surrounds his birth. An oracle told Euripides's father, Mnesarchus, that Euripides would win a crown of victory and that his future lay on the stage. Mnesarchus decided his son would be an athlete, and soon Euripides began lessons in athletics. In addition to athletics, Euripides studied philosophy and art, such as painting.

In 455 BCE, Euripides was chosen to compete in a festival dedicated to Dramatic theater, and in 441 BCE, he won the competition in first place. Euripides wrote nearly 92 plays; however, only about 19 survived into the modern day. Euripides would win four competitions for his plays. In 408 BCE, Euripides left Athens. Ancient sources and modern scholarship suggest that Athenian society did not like Euripides for his teachings. Evidence suggests he either chose exile or was exiled,¹ after which he settled in the Kingdom of Macedonia, where he died in 406 BCE. The cause of Euripides's death is not certain. Some believe the King's hounds killed him, and others believe he died due to the bitter cold of Macedonian winters.

Plays by Euripides

Only 19 of Euripides's plays have survived into the modern day. His most famous plays include Medea (431 BCE), Hippolytus (428 BCE), and Helen (412 BCE).

Fig. 2 - Euripides's plays were performed in the Dionysias festival.

Medea (431 BCE)

Medea is a play written by Euripides in 431 BCE and is based on the myth of Jason and Medea. It is a Tragedy that centers on Medea, who has been betrayed by her husband, Jason. Medea plots her revenge, ending in the death of her two sons and her fleeing to Athens. Medea won Euripides third place during the festival of the Dionysias.

Medea explores many themes, such as vengeance, love, and emotion. The Tragedy is considered rather simple compared to other contemporary tragedies, but its impact was still highly influential.

Hippolytus (428 BCE)

Hippolytus is another Tragedy that focuses on the myth of Hippolytus, the son of the legendary Theseus. It premiered during the Dionysias in 428 BCE and won Euripides third place. It surrounds the story of Hippolytus, who has sworn chastity and reveres the goddess Artemis. Aphrodite, who he refuses to worship, wants revenge, so she makes Hippolytus's stepmother, Phaedra, fall in love with him. What follows is a series of tragedies that end in misunderstanding and death.

Helen (412 BCE)

Helen premiered in 412 BCE as part of a trilogy in the Dionysias festival. Unfortunately for Euripides, his trilogy did not win any awards. Helen begins when Helen learns that her husband Menelaus never returned home to Greece after the Trojan War and is dead. Now widowed, Helen is in danger of having to marry Theoclymenus. Helen consults a prophetess in an attempt to learn what happened to Menelaus. One day, a stranger from Egypt arrives, and Helen recognizes him as Menelaus. However, Menelaus quickly realizes this isn't the real Helen. The real Helen is the one he hid in a cave in Troy, so who is this Helen before him? The Helen Menelaus was standing before was actually a phantom sent by Athena and Hera. And as is usual in Euripides's plays, tragedy after tragedy begins to unfold.

Writing Analysis of Euripides' Plays

Euripides was a Greek Tragedian who wrote many Greek Tragedies.

Fig. 3 - Euripides wrote Ancient Greek Tragedies.

Another important aspect of the writing style of Euripides is to create characters who have a sense of realism. They are often insecure people with internal torment and impulses that they must fight. This contrasts the usual archetypal characterizations of tragic heroes and heroines in other plays. Typically, heroes and heroines in other plays are proud and strong and typically must deal with challenges sent to them by the gods. This is particularly true in characters such as Phaedra and Medea.

The Influence of Euripides

Euripides, although not as successful in the Dionysian festivals as tragedians like Aeschylus, was incredibly influential in the progression of Greek drama. In particular, Euripides's realism-infused tragedies influenced the formation of a new type of Greek Drama known as Greek New Comedy. Greek New Comedy is attributed to the Greek dramatist Menander, who often imitated the works of Euripides and greatly admired his work.²

The satirical nature of Euripides's tragedies made their way into Greek New Comedy. In addition, Euripides also influenced Roman theater and even some genres of Modern Theater.

Quotes by Euripides

Euripides's power as a playwright is found in his words. Here are a few quotes from the work of Euripides that will help you better understand his work as a playwright.

In this quote from Medea, the source of tragedy is passionately expressed by Medea. She laments that the woman's destiny is to find a suitable husband and "buy" them with a suitable dowry. Next, the woman must live with the fact her husband may act as a source of evil or a source of good, but there is no way to know. Euripides was known for expressing the sufferings of women in a way not seen before in the Ancient Greek world.

In this quote spoken by the Goddess Aphrodite in Euripides's play Hippolytus, the power of the gods over a mortal's life is demonstrated. It also reveals that even the gods have pride that can be wounded. Here Aphrodite is angry that Hippolytus refuses to worship her, the goddess of love and beauty, and chooses to worship Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and virgin maidens. Aphrodite is so angry that she causes Hippolytus's stepmom, Phaedra, to fall deeply in love with him. This leads to the tragic end of many characters in the play.

In this quote from Euripides's play, Helen, the chorus tells Helen she must consult Theonoe before jumping to any conclusions about the fate of her husband, Menelaus. This is a good example of the role of the chorus. In Ancient Greek Tragedies, the chorus acted as a commentary on the plot's action or sometimes provided the main character with advice on what to do next. It helped move the plot along without any awkward or lengthy transitions.