(c. 480–406 bc), Greek dramatist, the third, with Aeschylus and Sophocles, of the great Attic tragic poets. His work, fairly popular in his own time, exerted great influence on Roman drama. In more recent times he has influenced English and German drama, and most conspicuously such French dramatic poets as Pierre Corneille and Jean Baptiste Racine.

According to tradition Euripides was born in SALAMÍS, (q.v.) on Sept. 23, about 480 bc, the day of the great naval battle between the Greeks and the Persians. His parents, according to some authorities, belonged to the nobility; according to others, they were of humble origin. Their son, in any case, received a thorough education. His plays began to be performed in the Attic drama festivals in 454 bc, but it was not until 442 bc that he won first prize. This distinction, despite his prolific talent, fell to him again only four times. Aside from his writings, his chief interests were philosophy and science.

Although Euripides did not identify himself with any specific school of philosophy, he was influenced by the SOPHISTS (q.v.) and by such philosophers as Protagoras, Anaxagoras, and Socrates. Euripides was austere and considered himself misunderstood by his contemporaries, a conclusion not without foundation, for he was constantly the object of attack by the Athenian writers of comedy. Aristophanes in particular made him a subject of a satire in The Frogs (405 bc). Euripides' plays were criticized for their unconventionality, for their natural dialogue (his heroes and princes spoke the language of everyday life), and for their independence of traditional religious and moral values. His plays, however, if not overwhelmingly popular, were famous throughout Greece. In the latter part of his life he left Athens for Macedonia.

A New Consciousness.

In contrast to Aeschylus and Sophocles, Euripides represented the new moral, social, and political movements that were taking place in Athens toward the end of the 5th century bc. It was a period of enormous intellectual discovery, in which “wisdom” ranked as the highest earthly accomplishment. Anaxagoras had just proven that air was an element, and that the sun was not a divinity but matter. New truths were being established in all the departments of knowledge, and Euripides, reacting to them, brought a new kind of consciousness to the writing of tragedy. His interest lay in the thought and experience of the ordinary individual rather than in the experiences of legendary beings of the heroic past.

Although Euripides drew on the old mythology, he treated its characters in a realistic fashion; they were no longer idealized symbols remote from commonplace life, but contemporary Athenians. Euripides shared in the intellectual skepticism of the day, and his plays challenged the religious and moral dogmas of the past, which had not yet fallen into disbelief among the people. His moods and attitudes shifted between extremes, sometimes within the boundaries of the same play; he was capable of the bitter, realistic observation of human weaknesses and corruption, and yet just as often his work reflected respect for human heroism, dignity, and more tender sentiments.

Dramatic Structure.

The structure of Euripides' plays has frequently been described as defective because of his use of the chorus as independent of the chief action of the drama and because his plays are so often made up of brilliant detached episodes that do not form coherent units through which the plots are gradually developed. In such plays as Medea, however, the plot is steadily developed from prologue to devastating climax. Euripides has been criticized for using the explanatory prologue, in which he makes known to the spectators the events that precede the opening of the play and often outlines coming events. Aristophanes ridiculed him for the mechanical and exaggerated use of this device, which was frequently burdened with long histories of the dramatis personae. Among his other devices were the deus ex machina, the unexpected introduction of a god to facilitate, or bring about, the denouement; and the alteration of legends to suit plot requirements.

Plots.

Euripides took his plots from the same general source as the other Greek dramatists. The native Greek myths and legends held a strong attraction for him, particularly the adventures of Athenian heroes such as Theseus. He also sought for subjects in new fields, especially for themes that suggested violent emotions and romantic action. Such were the stories of the heroes Bellerophon and Phaëthon, which were treated dramatically for the first time by Euripides.

Surviving Dramas.

Of the many plays ascribed to Euripides, 17 tragedies and 1 satyr play, Cyclops, survive. The dated dramas are Alcestis (438 bc), Medea (431), Hippolytus (428), Trojan Women (415), Helen (412), Orestes (408), and Iphigenia in Aulis and Bacchae (both produced posthumously, 405). Those of uncertain date include Andromache, Children of Heracles, Hecuba, Suppliants, Electra, Madness of Heracles, Iphigenia in Tauris, Ion, and Phoenissae. See Drama and Dramatic Arts; Greek Literature: The Attic Period: Tragedy.