Hippolytus The Bacchae

Euripides, 480？ BCE-406 BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.7

Word count: 155K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Hippolytus; The Bacchae by EuripidesAuthor: Euripides, 480? BCE-406 BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2005

Editor's review

This English edition contains two tragedies by Euripides, Hippolytus and The Bacchae, among the most intense works of ancient Greek drama: the former centers on chastity, desire, shame, and divine will, while the latter treats the conflict between reason and frenzy, and between civic order and the worship of Dionysus. Read together, the two plays reveal Euripides' persistent, sharp questioning of human contradiction and divine coercion. The Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain English translation, freely accessible and searchable, suitable as a classroom aid or for self-study. Note that this electronic edition usually lacks a detailed introduction, footnotes, and textual notes, so readers must supply the mythological genealogy and dramatic-structure background themselves. When reading, do not rush to judge the characters as good or evil; attending to the tension between the choral odes and the dialogue will make it easier to enter the performance context of Greek tragedy.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students learning ancient Greek drama and the roots of Western literature
General readers interested in themes of myth, fate, and human conflict
Teachers and students needing a free public-domain English translation as a course aid
Drama enthusiasts who want to compare the two plays to understand Euripides' style

Not a good fit for

Beginners who want a Chinese annotated edition and rely on detailed notes
Readers expecting a modern stage adaptation or performance script
Readers entirely unfamiliar with Greek mythology who are unwilling to look things up

Reading tips

Read a reliable introduction to the mythological background before entering the play text.
Read the two plays side by side, noting how choral odes and character dialogue alternate.
After finishing, try retelling the main conflicts to check whether you have grasped the dramatic structure.
If used for a course, pair with class discussion and record the characters' motives and their relation to divine will.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What are the two plays about?

Hippolytus tells of Hippolytus, who brings disaster on himself by rejecting the goddess of sexual love; it involves chastity, desire, and family ethics. The Bacchae tells of Dionysus returning to Thebes to establish his worship and clashing with the king who refuses to acknowledge him; its themes involve frenzy and civic order.

What reading level is the English translation suitable for?

Public-domain English translations are mostly in a more traditional literary English, and readers with university-level English reading ability can read them through. If you are unfamiliar with Greek mythology, it is advisable to build up background knowledge first; otherwise the names and divine genealogies are easily confused.

Does this electronic edition have notes and an introduction?

Project Gutenberg editions usually consist mainly of the text and generally lack detailed scholarly introductions and footnotes. Readers who need notes can consult an annotated edition alongside it or first read relevant material on myth and dramatic background.

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About the author

Euripides, 480？ BCE-406 BCE Author

Euripides (c. 480–406 BCE) was one of the three great tragedians of ancient Greece, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. Public information about his life is limited; what later ages know comes largely from scattered records and traditions and cannot be reliably confirmed. The library holds 20 of his works, including The Trojan Women, The Bacchae, Hippolytus, Medea, Orestes, and Iphigeneia at Aulis. Drawing on myth and heroic legend, his tragedies often center on the emotions and situations of ordinary people and raise pointed questions about war, gender, religion, and human nature, while employing reversal and the deus ex machina in their structure. His works exerted a lasting influence from late antiquity to modern times and have provided enduring themes for Western drama and intellectual history.