"Alcestis," the oldest surviving play of Euripides, was the fourth play in a tetralogy, taking the place of the ribald satyr play, which traditionally followed a series of three tragedies. Consequently, this play has more of a burlesque tone, best represented in the drunken speech of Hercules to the butler and his teasing of Admetus at the end. So while "Alcestis" is a tragedy, it does offer up an unusual happy ending. Alcestis, wife of Admetus, is the model wife, for when her husband is to [end life] she alone agrees to [end life]in his place. Euripides adds a key twist in that Alcestis agrees to the sacrifice before she fully understands that her husband will suffer without her. She is brought back from the underworld by Hercules and restored to her relieved husband, but the play clearly characterizes Admetus as a selfish man and it is this view that other writers have imitated every since. "Alcestis" is not a first rate play by Euripides, but it does represent both his cynicism and his attempt to make the audience confront the problematic elements of its belief system.

"Medea" is not really about infanticide, but rather about the way foreigners are treated in Greece (best seen in the odes of the Chorus of Corinthian Women). The other key component of the play is the psychology of Medea and the way in which she constructs events to help convince her self to do the unspeakable deed and [destroy] the two sons she has borne Jason. There is a very real sense in which Jason is the true villain of the piece and I do not think there is a comparable example in the extant Greek tragedies remain wherein a major mythological hero is made to look as bad as Euripides does in this play. Jason assures Medea that his sons will be well treated at the court while the King of Corinth, worried that the sorceress will seek vengeance, banishes her from the land. After securing sanctuary in Athens (certainly an ironic choice given this is where the play is being performed), Medea constructs a rather complex plan. Having coated a cloak with poison, she has her children deliver it to the princess; not only will the princess [end life]when she puts on the cloak (and her father along with her), the complicity of the children in the crime will give her an excuse to justify killing in order to literally save them from the wrath of the Corinthians. But in the end Medea's ultimate vengeance is on Jason as she takes away everything he hold dear.

Greek tragedies were performed at a festival that honored the Dionysus, and in "The Bacchae" he is the god who extracts a horrible vengeance. Pentheus was the son of Echion and Agave, the daughter of Cadmus, the founder of the Royal House of Thebes. After Cadmus stepped down the throne, Pentheus took his place as king of Thebes. When the cult of Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus resisted the worship of the god in his kingdom. However, his mother and sisters were devotees of the god and went with women of the city to join in the Dionsysian revels on Mount Cithaeron. Pentheus had Dionysus captured, but the god drove the king insane, who then shackled a bull instead of the god. When Pentheus climbed a tree to witness in secret the revelry of the Bacchic women, he was discovered and torn to pieces by his mother and sisters, who, in their Bacchic frenzy, believed him to be a wild beast. The horrific action is described in gory detail by a messenger, which is followed by the arrival of the frenzied and bloody Agave, the head of her son fixed atop her thytsus. As the fate of Pentheus amply points out, it is not only stupid to ignore the irrational, represented by the worshippers of Dionysus, it is fatal.

This is an interesting trio of Euripides plays to present in a single volume. If "Alcestis" was replaced by "Ion" then we would have a decided emphasis on the cynical view Euripides had of the Greek gods. But with this mix it becomes clear that the unifying theme is the attack on cherished conventions, such as the superiority of men over women, foreigners over natives, and reason over emotion. That certainly provides readers of this book with three different attacks by Euripides on the believes of his Athenian audience (it would be wrong to characterized them as representing all "Greeks"). I particular like this edition of these plays because they make a point of breaking down each play into the structure of a Greek tragedy, not only in terms of scenes and songs, but also in breaking down the later in strophes and antistophes. There are also decent footnotes on pertinent mythological details.

This book is an excellent source of daily spiritual inspiration. Buy it and keep it handy.