Euripides

Euripides began writing plays at the age of 18. The exact number of plays that he wrote is unknown, since many do not survive, but many people believe it to be 92. Translations of many of his plays are available on-line.

Euripides liked writing his plays about human nature. Many of his plays are about women and their emotions.

In Hippolytus, he writes about love, fear, and anger.

In Medea, he writes about envy and hate.

Hecuba involves revenge.

Alcestis is about a women who gives her life for her husband.

Iphigenia at Aulis is about a girl who gives her life for her father and her country. Iphigenia Among the Taurians is about a girl who risks everything for her brother.

In Heraclidae, a girl gives her life to save her brothers and sisters.

Euripides frequently used someone to play a messenger in his plays. The messenger was used to explain to the audience what was going on in the play. Euripides wasn' t the first playwright to use a messenger but he was the first to make it an important part of the play.

Euripides sometimes used children in his plays but they usually didn't have speaking parts. They were usually shown suffering or in danger. This was a way to to get the audience to feel sad or sympathetic for the children.

In the play Heraclidae, children are on the stage from beginning to end but they do not speak one word. This play is about the children though. They have escaped from their cruel father who is trying to get them back. Their grandmother is desperately attempting to keep her grandchildren. Having the children on stage helps makes the audience pay more attention to the play becauses they feel for the children.

In many of the plays that Euripides wrote involving children, he is trying to get the audience to feel pity, anger or the pains of the children.

Some well known Euripidean tragedies that involve children include The Suppliants, Medea, Heracles Furens, Hecuba, Alcestis, and The Troades.

Euripides also used humor many times in his plays to make them not so sad. He did not use a clown or someone who was purposely funny to bring this humor to his plays. Instead, he usually had an actor make himself look stupid by accident as a way to get laughs.