Book description
'In this masterful reevaluation of Euripides, Michael Walton recasts
the playwright in light of his resonance for today's translators and
directors. Springing from the rehearsal room rather than the page,
Walton shows us not only why we are ready for Euripides, but why we so
desperately need him.' Mary Louise Hart, Associate Curator of
Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum 'A useful, reader-friendly
introduction aimed at non-specialists, [it] offers detailed summaries of
Euripides' plays, along with keen observations on their relevance for
today's theater.' Rush Rehm, author of Radical Theatre Euripides Our
Contemporary is a major new study of the work of the great classical
tragedian that illuminates his work and demonstrates both its vitality
and how it continues to speak to us today. Taking a thematic approach to
Euripides' plays it provides the reader with a wide-ranging and thorough
appreciation of the writer's entire canon. For students, teachers and
practitioners this is the best single-volume treatment of the writer's
work, considering the plays for their accessibility and for their focus
on issues and concerns which are as significant as ever in the modern
world. Divided into three sections, the book first examines
'Domesticating Tragedy', the manner in which Euripides gave the world of
myth an application to ordinary life. The second section tackles the
'Grand Passions': characters under extraordinary pressure and the extent
to which personal responsibility can be absolved through various aspects
of circumstance. The third looks at the nature of Euripides' theatre and
his acknowledgment of it, the great roles and the playwrights of the
last hundred years whose craft seems most influenced by his work. An
Appendix at the end of the book provides a short summary of the plots of
all nineteen plays. J. Michael Walton has published and/or edited
seven books on classical theatre history and has nine translations of
Euripides plays in print, many on the Methuen Drama list. He was
professor of Drama at Hull University for many years.
