EURIPIDES

Euripides was the youngest of the three great Athenian tragedians of the 5th century B.C. and, as has been said, the most tragic. He reached manhood during the classical age of rhetoric, sophistic and philosophy, living at a time of rapid changes and major achievements in all spheres of culture. Influenced by the new currents, Euripides attempted a novel and bolder treatment of the myths on which the plot of Greek tragedies was almost always built, raising moral questions that are still difficult to answer today. A distinctive characteristic of his art was the realistic portrayal of his heroes and their passions. The fact that Euripides was awarded fewer victories at the dramatic festivals of Athens than his counterparts Sophocles and Aeschylus suggests that his radical approach caused unease among the Athenian public. Towards the end of his life, Euripides retired to the court of Archelaos, king of Macedon, where he wrote his last masterpiece, the tragedy Bacchae.