Euripides
Euripides: A Greek Playwright
Euripides is a keen witness to the human character and the father of the psychological theater. His plays were modern at the time compared to others because of the way he focused on the personal lives and motives of his characters, in a manner that was unfamiliar to Greek audiences. His plays have often been seen, in simple terms, bad because critics have been unable to comprehend his visions. The ideas and concepts that Euripides developed were not accepted until after his death.
According to legend, Euripides was born in Salamis on September 23 480 BCE, the day of the Persian War’s greatest naval battle. Other sources estimate that he was born as early as 485 BCE. His family is believed to be wealthy and influential. Euripides began to question his religion at a young age because of his exposure to famous thinkers, like Socrates and Protagoras. These important men might have influenced Euripides way of thinking, which caused him choose to write about certain issues for his works.
Out of the three Greek tragedians, Euripides was the least successful, yet more of his plays have survived than those written by Aeschylus and Sophocles combined. It is recorded that Euripides wrote almost ninety-two plays during his lifetime. In 455BC, he first competed at the drama festival Dionysus. In that year he won third place, but it was not until 441 BCE that he placed first and four times after that. He also won a fifth award but it was not until after his death. Euripides did not win many awards because he refused to change his writings and beliefs just to satisfy judges and the citizens of Athens. With justifiable pride he might have seen himself as a dramatic pioneer, breaking new ground, and courageously refusing to write the higher parody of his predecessors which his world-and ours-have demanded of him.
Euripides plays were not like the others during his time. He believed heavily in truth...
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