The Bacchae
ByPublisher Description
Considered by many to be Euripides's most important work,
has been rousing audiences since the fifth century BC. Appearing in human form, the Greek god Dionysus has come to seek vengeance on his mortal cousin, Pentheus, King of Thebes. The Greek ruler has proclaimed that, far from being the son of Zeus, Dionysus is a mere mortal. Angered at the insult, the god initiates the Theban women in Dionysian rites, inspiring them to ecstatic dance and wild abandon—mysterious acts that will tempt Pentheus—even as he is lured to his tragic end.
Controversial in its time and innovative in structure,
was written after Euripides's exile from Athens and published posthumously. Today it stands as one of the more provocative and poetic Greek tragedies by a writer whose intriguing plots and keen psychological insight make him the more modern of the ancient authors.
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About Euripides
Euripides was a tragedian of classical Athens. He was born on Salamis Island around 480 BC to his mother, Cleito, and father, Mnesarchus, a retailer who lived in a village near Athens. He had two disastrous marriages, and both his wives—Melite and Choerine (the latter bearing him three sons)—were unfaithful. He became a recluse, making a home for himself in a cave on Salamis. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. He became, in the Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone of ancient literary education. The details of his death are uncertain.
Other books by Euripides
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