Phoenician Women

Euripides (c.480–c.406 BC), translated by Theodoridis, G., (contributor-contact-email)

The Phoenician Women is a tragedy by Euripides, written around 408 BC amid military disasters for his city-state, Athens. The play is based on the same story as Aeschylus’ play Seven Against Thebes. It was presented along with the tragedies Hypsipyle and Antiope. Euripides reportedly won the second prize with this trilogy. The text of the play is, however, poor, and scholars have detected several interpolations. Some even believe that the whole play is post-Euripidean, written in the style of the late Euripides.

The title refers to the Greek chorus, which is composed of Phoenician women on their way to Delphi who are trapped in Thebes by the war. Unlike some of Euripides’ other plays, the chorus does not play a significant role in the plot, but represents the innocent and neutral people who very often are found in the middle of war situations. Patriotism is a significant theme in the story, as Polynices talks a great deal about his love for the city of Thebes but has brought an army to destroy it; Creon is also forced to make a choice between saving the city and saving the life of his son.

Author Details

Euripides, a preeminent Greek tragedian born around 480 BC on the island of Salamis, was a transformative figure in the evolution of ancient Greek drama. He was the son of Mnesarchus, a merchant, and Cleito. Initially destined to be an athlete, as per an oracle’s prophecy, Euripides’ career was redirected towards the arts, encompassing studies in philosophy under Anaxagoras and Prodicus, and painting.

Among the trio of great tragedians, including also Aeschylus and Sophocles, Euripides is noted for his innovative approach to drama. He is credited with infusing classical Greek theatre with a modern sensibility, portraying mythical heroes as ordinary individuals in extraordinary situations. This novel perspective heralded significant developments in drama, influencing later forms including comedy and romance.

Ancient sources attribute as many as 92 plays to him, but only around 18 or 19 have survived in a complete form, with the authorship of “Rhesus” being subject to debate. His works are distinguished by their deep exploration of characters’ inner lives - in stark contrast to the style of his contemporaries.

Euripides’ own life intersected significantly with contemporary intellectual movements, granting Socrates’ and himself prominent positions in Athenian culture - which led to both being criticized by comic poets including Aristophanes.

In his later years, there are conflicting accounts about his voluntary exile and death in Macedonia around 406 BC, with both the assumption his death there, and the nature of his relationship with King Archelaus, being questioned by modern scholars.

His dramatic contributions are multifaceted, marked by a shift from traditional heroic narratives to more nuanced, often controversial, explorations of societal issues and human psychology, in plays characterized by their rhetorical prowess and innovative use of language, reflecting contemporary Athenian society and its complexities.

Despite winning only a few dramatic competitions in his lifetime, Euripides’ impact on the genre of tragedy, and his influence on subsequent generations of playwrights and dramatists, is undeniable. He remains a pivotal figure in the evolution of Western drama.

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Theodoridis, G.,

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