The Age of Pericles | Euripides (Lecture 15)

Lecture 15: In Medea, Euripides explores the questions of blood and membership in the community. These were concerns that troubled the Athenians as their empire grew and their power made them both envied and hated. Yet, whatever the general context for the play’s production, it is the horrific power of the story told by Euripides that continues to appeal to audiences. How could a mother slaughter her own children? The enormity of the crime and the revulsion it causes in the audience make Medea one of the most compelling tragedies produced for the Athenian stage. In this lecture, we will examine the play closely and explore the ways in which Euripides dissects one of the most potent of human feelings: the desire for revenge. The play is both universal in its appeal and also very much a product of the grim reality of Athenian power.

Suggested Reading:
Burnett, A. P. Catastrophe Survived: Euripides’ Plays of Mixed Reversal. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971.
Conacher, D. J. Euripidean Drama: Myth, Theme and Structure. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.

Lecture 16: https://rumble.com/v5f0x1h-the-age-of-pericles-comedy-in-the-age-of-aristophanes-lecture-16.html