Three Revenge Plays by Euripides

Join us as we read and discuss Hippolytus, Hecuba and Medea, three plays in which the Ancient Greek tragedian Euripides explores the theme of vengeance and its futility. In Hippolytus, both the gods and mortals engage in a cycle of vengeance to tragic ends for mortals; in Hecuba, Euripides shows how vengeance reduces the Queen of Troy to the same level as her tormenters; and in Medea, he examines how a woman can be driven to a most horrific act of revenge and violence.

Read: Ten Plays by Euripides, translated by Moses Hadas and John McLean. (As this translation will be heavily referenced during class, students are urged not to purchase a different one. Instructor will provide a free downloadable translation of Hecuba.)