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A review by dan1066
Hecuba by Euripides
4.0
Where can I find Hecuba, who once was queen of Ilium, ye Trojan maidens?
Evidently there's two plays set during the aftermath of the Trojan war focusing on the women of Troy: [b:The Trojan Women|3254|The Trojan Women|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348667122l/3254._SY75_.jpg|389355] and this one. Unlike The Trojan Women, Euripides embeds more--slightly more--action into the drama. Instead of a series of lamentations, we now have a series of lamentations punctured with screaming and violence. First, Hecuba loses her baby girl Polyxena and then receives the startling news her baby boy Polydorus, sent to the king of Thrace with gold to escape the war, was murdered as soon as the war was lost. She begs Agamemnon to allow her to exact revenge on her son's murderer, Polymestor. Agamemnon is all right with the project so long as his involvement is unrevealed. He then wonders how Hecuba plans to subdue a man:
AGAMEMNON: How are women to master men?
HECUBA: Numbers are a fearful thing.
Hecuba and Polyxena are interesting female characters within a Greek play. Hecuba, like Medea, exacts revenge on a man. While I enjoyed the play, it's not as good as Euripides' other plays [b:The Bacchae|380609|The Bacchae|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328704140l/380609._SY75_.jpg|1842204] or [b:Medea|752900|Medea|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868366l/752900._SY75_.jpg|2936587].
Evidently there's two plays set during the aftermath of the Trojan war focusing on the women of Troy: [b:The Trojan Women|3254|The Trojan Women|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348667122l/3254._SY75_.jpg|389355] and this one. Unlike The Trojan Women, Euripides embeds more--slightly more--action into the drama. Instead of a series of lamentations, we now have a series of lamentations punctured with screaming and violence. First, Hecuba loses her baby girl Polyxena and then receives the startling news her baby boy Polydorus, sent to the king of Thrace with gold to escape the war, was murdered as soon as the war was lost. She begs Agamemnon to allow her to exact revenge on her son's murderer, Polymestor. Agamemnon is all right with the project so long as his involvement is unrevealed. He then wonders how Hecuba plans to subdue a man:
AGAMEMNON: How are women to master men?
HECUBA: Numbers are a fearful thing.
Hecuba and Polyxena are interesting female characters within a Greek play. Hecuba, like Medea, exacts revenge on a man. While I enjoyed the play, it's not as good as Euripides' other plays [b:The Bacchae|380609|The Bacchae|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328704140l/380609._SY75_.jpg|1842204] or [b:Medea|752900|Medea|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328868366l/752900._SY75_.jpg|2936587].