Trojan Women. Iphigenia among the Taurians. Ion

The digital Loeb Classical Library extends the founding mission of James Loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in Greek and Latin literature. Now with enhanced navigation »

One of antiquity’s greatest poets, Euripides (ca. 485–406 BCE) has been prized in every age for the pathos, terror, surprising plot twists, and intellectual probing of his dramatic creations. Here, in the third volume of a new edition that is receiving much praise, is the text and translation of three of his plays.

Trojan Women, a play about the causes and consequences of war, develops the theme of the tragic unpredictability of life. Iphigenia among the Taurians and Ion exhibit tragic themes and situations (the murder of close relatives). Each ends happily with a joyful reunion.

As in the first three volumes of this edition, David Kovacs gives us a freshly edited Greek text and an admired new translation that, in the words of Greece and Rome, is “close to the Greek and reads fluently and well.” His introduction to each play and explanatory notes offer readers judicious guidance.