Synopsis:

The first major study of the work of the great classical tragedian for thirty years, Euripides Our Contemporary takes a thematic approach to the Euripides' plays to provide the reader with a wide-ranging and thorough appreciation of the writer's entire canon. In recent years there have been many major stage productions of Euripides' work and the plays remain a staple of drama and literature courses. For students, teachers and practitioners this is the best single-volume treatment of the writer's work, considering the plays for their accessibility and for their focus on issues and concerns which are as significant as ever in the modern world. Divided into three sections, the book first examines 'Domesticating Tragedy', the manner in which Euripides gave the world of myth an application to ordinary life. The second section tackles the 'Grand Passions': characters under extraordinary pressure and the extent to which personal responsibility can be absolved through various aspects of circumstance. The third looks at the nature of Euripides' theatre and his acknowledgment of it, the great roles and the playwrights of the last hundred years whose craft seems most influenced by his work. An Appendix at the end of the book provides a short summary of the plots of all nineteen plays.