Euripides

Euripides (Greek Εὐριπίδης ) (* 480 BC or 485/484 BC at Salamis; † 406 BC in Pella, buried in Macedonia) is one of the great classical Greek playwright.

Euripides, the youngest of the three great Greek tragedians after Aeschylus and Sophocles. 18 Of his tragedies about 90 have survived. In addition, one of his satyr plays has survived. With his plays, especially Medea, Iphigenia, Electra and The Bacchae, Euripides is one of the most popular playwrights of world literature.

Life

From the life of Euripides little certain is preserved; important data arise primarily through its participation in the public tragedy competitions. Euripides led 455-408 BC regularly in the Tragic Agon to Athens tetralogies on ( a tragedy trilogy and satyr play a rather grotesque character ). The first piece was called The listed Peliaden ( now lost), with which Euripides took third place. His first victory falls in the year 441 BC In 428 BC he won with the surviving The garlanded Hippolyte, who was the editor of another Hippolytus - piece a few years ago and listed heavily criticized. Overall, he won four times in his lifetime and posthumously with a set of Fallot, to which the famous play The Bacchae heard.

Shortly after the Dionysia 408 BC Euripides followed the invitation of the Macedonian king Archelaus I., in whose capital Pella he died in early spring 406 BC; According to legend, he was torn to pieces by wild dogs. This legend is more symbolic to be understood as description of his work, in the Dionysian ecstasy eruptive plays a central role.

Sophocles is said to have created the news of the death of Euripides sackcloth; his actors and singers appeared unbekränzt. In Athens it was in honor of a cenotaph - an (empty ) memory Tomb - built and crowned three of his posthumous pieces posthumously.

Importance

Soon after his death, one recognized the paramount importance of Euripides' on what is, inter alia, it was reflected that he was throughout the ancient world of the most frequently performed and read tragedians. Of particular importance is its influence on the New Comedy, in particular its main representatives Menander.

From the great masters of the Athenian tragedy Euripides was the most problematic and the most modern, which earned him rejection and hostility. The attitude of the society of his time characterized Euripides as saying: ". The terrible enemies and friends affectionately"

Aristophanes is responsible for a marked by the grotesque distortions of the Old Comedy Euripides image that has been decisive to the modern era.

Works

List of lost, preserved or fragmentary surviving pieces of Euripides with traditional or developed performance data.