Reviews

Medea and Other Plays by John Davie, Euripides, Richard Rutherford

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honvictor521's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Book Audit: "Medea and Different Plays" by Euripides

"Medea and Different Plays" is a convincing assortment of Euripides' works that features the writer's uncommon capacity to investigate complex human feelings and cultural issues. This release incorporates a portion of his most eminent misfortunes, including "Medea," "Hippolytus," "Electra," and "Helen," each offering an interesting look into the old Greek world and its immortal issues.

Euripides' "Medea" stands apart as a strong investigation of retribution, love, and the outcomes of double-crossing. The play's hero, Medea, is a person of colossal profundity, whose extreme feelings and shrewd make her both a sad and considerable figure. Euripides' depiction of her predicament and her outrageous reaction to her better half Jason's disloyalty is both stunning and thoughtful, featuring the dramatist's expertise in making ethically complex characters.

Pros:

- Complex Characters: Euripides succeeds in creating diverse characters who are driven by a blend of feelings and inspirations. This profundity adds wealth to the stories and welcomes perusers to connect profoundly with the characters' battles.

- Profound Intensity: The plays are accused of extreme feelings, from Medea's rage to Electra's sorrow, making for a grasping understanding encounter.

- Investigation of Themes: The plays dig into widespread subjects like love, treachery, vengeance, and the place of ladies in the public eye, which stay applicable to present day crowds.

- Wonderful Language: Euripides' utilization of language is both lovely and impactful, improving the sensational impact of the plays.

Cons:

- Social Context: The plays are saturated with old Greek culture and folklore, which may be trying for perusers new to these references.

- Dull Themes: The misfortunes are revolved around dim and frequently upsetting subjects, which probably won't engage all perusers.

- Interpretation Variability: The effect of the plays can shift altogether contingent upon the interpretation, for certain variants possibly losing the subtlety of the first Greek text.

Generally speaking, "Medea and Different Plays" is an exceptional assortment that offers significant bits of knowledge into human instinct and cultural standards. Euripides' capacity to summon compassion and incite thoroughly considered his terrible stories makes this collection a critical commitment to traditional writing. While the social setting and dull topics could present difficulties for certain perusers, the profound and topical profundity of the plays guarantee their getting through importance and power.

wuthrinheights's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As my first book of Greek plays, this one was a lovely read. The book started off strong with Medea, which I loved thoroughly. It was an incredible play, with a strong main character and intense emotions. I devoured it in one night.

The three remaining plays weren't as enjoyable as Medea but it was still great enough that I sped through them. I loved that it was so vivid in my head, as if I could hear all the voices from the chorus, or felt the emotions from the characters. I felt as if I was really watching them live on stage.

midnightstory's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

roganjoshwa's review against another edition

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3.0

Bit of a drag to get through, but I feel like the enjoyment you get afterwards from having the knowledge makes it worth it. God this took ages.

moo_nyy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kygpub's review

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

medea. as iconic as ever. a delicious character study of quite possibly the most likeably unlikeable woman ever written.
hecabe. the closest i came to unironically saying stuff like "good for her" and "god forbid women do anything". the polymestor ex machina felt weird and rushed and not at all fitting with his character (you will never be oedipus!!!) but very enjoyable otherwise.
electra. she and orestes intrigue me, but aegisthus and clytemnestra are such a let down. so much potential for downright malevolence that just gets completly defanged.
hercules. tragedy without actual human motivation = all sadness and no catharsis. hera needs to start going after her husband and stop taking her anger out on his kids.