Judith Mossman – författare

Few ancient authors are as challenging as Euripides, and few have provoked so many diverse critical opinions through the ages: Aristotle described him as 'most tragic', and yet many of his plays have been condemned by critics as barely qualifying as 'proper' tragedies at all. In general he has enjoyed a revival in reputation over the last few decades: his manipulation of convention and the skill of his dramaturgy are perhaps more widely admired now than at any time since the Renaissance. Moreover, his exploration of the emotions of the marginalized sections of Athenian society - women, slaves, foreigners - has given his work strong contemporary resonances. This volume aims to bring together for students some classic essays illustrating the main strands of Euripidean criticism over the last forty years. Two of the essays are translated here for the first time, and many others have been revised by their authors. All Greek has been translated.

Few ancient authors are as challenging as Euripides, and few have provoked so many diverse critical opinions through the ages: Aristotle described him as 'most tragic', and yet many of his plays have been condemned by critics as barely qualifying as 'proper' tragedies at all. In general he has enjoyed a revival in reputation over the last few decades: his manipulation of convention and the skill of his dramaturgy are perhaps more widely admired now than at any time since the Renaissance. Moreover, his exploration of the emotions of the marginalized sections of Athenian society - women, slaves, foreigners - has given his work strong contemporary resonances. This volume aims to bring together for students some classic essays illustrating the main strands of Euripidean criticism over the last forty years. Two of the essays are translated here for the first time, and many others have been revised by their authors. All Greek has been translated.

Fame and Infamy honours Christopher Pelling, reflecting the range of his interests and demonstrating the extent of his influence in spearheading the so-called literary turn in the study of ancient historiography. The volumes twenty-four chapters are written by former pupils, graduate students, and close academic associates, themselves leading experts in their fields, from the UK and overseas. They consider the central question of characterization within Greek and Roman historiography and biography from a fresh perspective, combining close readings of texts of individual authors and overarching exploration into questions of how and why characterization in the ancient world evolves in the ways that it does. Spanning a wide period of time, and focusing on writers from both the Greek and Roman worlds -- from Herodotus to Cassius Dio, and from Cicero to Suetonius and beyond -- this volume will be essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of the genres of historiography and biography in the ancient world.

Jason, in exile in Corinth, is marrying the king's daughter. It looks as though his problems are over, though it's hard on Medea, who has betrayed her family for him, followed him all the way from Colchis, killed for him, and borne him two sons.Euripides' Medea is a compelling study of love turned to hatred and a rejected woman's burning desire for revenge. Its central, shocking, act of infanticide comes as the climax of a psychological thriller in which Euripides' dramaturgical skills are shown at their finest and the audience's emotions are ruthlessly manipulated. Medea's conflicting urges and her dazzling rhetoric have exercised an enduring fascination over audiences and readers since the play was first performed in 431 BC. This edition examines a wide range of aspects of the play, including text, performance, interpretation, Euripides' sources, other lost plays about Medea and Euripides' portrayal of character and gender. Greek text with facing-page translation, introduction and commentary.

'Revenge is a kind of wild justice...' (Francis Bacon). Euripides' "Hecuba" is dominated by the vengeance which Hecuba takes on the faithless Polymestor, and explores in a complex and profound manner the potential for revenge as a subject for tragedy. The sacrifice of Polyxena is in counterpoint to the revenge action; the whole is set in the chaotic aftermath of the fall of Troy. The combination of plots creates one of Euripides' most effective dramas, full of pathos, suspense and excitement. This study of the play in English argues that it has been greatly undervalued by critics who have failed to appreciate the power of its rhetoric, the subtlety of its characterisation, and the beauty of its choral odes.

The genre of biography in the ancient world is interestingly diverse and permeable and deserves intensive study, bearing as it does on ideas of characterization and the individual. This volume considers both the form and the content of biography across the ancient world, and is particularly interested in the frontiers with other related genres, such as history. The papers range from the Old Testament to the Arab world, from the New Testament to the Lives of Saints, from the classic Greek and Roman biographers to less well known practitioners of the art.

In this volume, eight scholars from around the world come together to consider Plutarch's understanding and presentation of Sparta, his flaws and significance as an historical source, and his development of Sparta as a resonant subject and theme within his bestknown work, the Parallel Lives.