Bust of Euripedes

At our August meeting, we will be discussing three plays by Euripedes, which are based on Homeric themes and characters: The Trojan Women, Rhesus and Cyclops. The Trojan Women is one of Euripedes' best known works. It concerns the women of Troy after the Trojan War is over, the city has been sacked and the women and their families about to be led away into slavery. The four Trojan women of the play, Hecuba, Cassandra, Andromache and Helen are the same characters appearing in the final book of the Iliad lamenting over the corpse of Hector. This play was also the basis of a 1971 film, directed by Michael Cacoyannis (Zorba The Greek starring Katharine Hepburn and Vanessa Redgrave. Rhesus is another tragedy, whose authorship by Euripedes is disputed. This work covers the events of Book 10 of the Iliad on the night when Odysseus and Diomedes sneak into the Trojan camp. Rhesus is the king of neighboring Thrace, who arrives to assist the Trojans. Cyclops, another play of disputed authorship, is the only complete satyr play that has survived from antiquity. It is a comical burlesque-like play on the Cyclops story depicted in book 9 of the Odyssey. In this story, Odysseus and his men are captured by the Cyclops, but Odysseus outwits the giant and escapes, but his arrogance brings about the wrath of Poseiden, the Cyclops' father.

For an overview of the proposed long-term schedule for our study of Odysseus, please see Odysseus in Literature.

 Facebook  Twitter