Euripides

A Greek dramatist; he was born at the close of the second Persian invasion of Greece (480 BCE) and lived through the majority of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).

His plays were not “historical” but used historical themes to place his characters in situations of high drama and noble sacrifice.

His plays (in chronological order of their assumed production dates) include:

1. Rhesus 455? BCE;
2. Alkestis (Alcestis), 438;
3. Medea, 431;
4. The Herakleidae, i.e. The Children of Herakles (Heracles), 429?;
5. Hippolytus, 428;
6. Andromakhe (Andromakhe), 426?;
7. Hekabe (Hecabe), 425?;
8. The Cyclops 425?;
9. Suppliants (The Suppliant Women), 423?;
10. Herakles, 420?; Trojan Women, 415;
11. Iphigenia in Tauris, 414?;
12. Elektra (Electra), 413;
13. Helen, 412; Ion, 412?;
14. Phoenissae (The Phoenician Women), 410?;
15. Orestes, 408;
16. Iphigenia at Aulis, 405;
17. Bakkhae (Bacchae), 406; and
18. Madness of Herakles, date unknown.