Description: Euripides' Bacchae is one of the most widely read and performed Greek tragedies. A story of implacable divine vengeance, it skilfully transforms earlier currents of literature and myth, and its formative influence on modern ideas of Greek tragedy and religion is unparalleled. This up-to-date edition offers a detailed literary and cultural analysis. The wide-ranging Introduction discusses such issues as the psychological and anthropological aspects of Dionysiac ritual, the god's ability to blur gender boundaries, his particular connection to dramatic role-playing, and the interaction of belief and practice in Greek religion. The Commentary's notes on language and style are intended to make the play fully accessible to students of Greek at all levels, while the edition as a whole is designed for anyone with an interest in Greek tragedy or cultural history.
Brief description: LAURA SWIFT is an Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Magdalen College. She is also the editor of Archilochus: The Poems (2019).
Review Quotes: '... wonderful book! A truly great achievement!' Georgia Petridou, University of Liverpool