Euripides: Bacchae Euripides : Bacchae (classical Texts)

This is a commentary on Bacchae. It takes account of the great amount written on the play since then as well as the discoveries that have been made about the cult of Dionsysus. In Bacchae, one of the great masterpieces of the tragic genre, Euripides tells the story of king Pentheus' resistance to the worship of Dionysus and his horrific punishment by the god: dismemberment at the hands of Theban women. Iphigenia at Aulis recounts the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter to Artemis, the price exacted by the goddess for favorable sailing winds. Rhesus dramatizes a pivotal incident in the Trojan War. Although this play was transmitted from antiquity under Euripides' name it probably is not by him; but does give a sample of what tragedy was like after the great fifth-century playwrights. -- JACKET. This book offers the first English commentary on Euripides' play Bacchae since that of E. R. Dodds (1960). It takes account of studies made on the play since then, as well as discussing recent scholarship and new research into the cult of Dionysus. Greek text with facing translation, introduction and commentary. Bibliography updated in 2015.