Euripides: Bacchae

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.

• Gives students access to one of the most renowned and complex Greek tragedies in the original language
• The Commentary provides clear guidance on language, metre, style and dramatic technique to enable students of Greek at all levels to read the play with confidence
• Includes a thorough Introduction in order to help students understand the play's religious and social context and recent developments in scholarship on it