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A review by jasonfurman
Euripides: Hecuba by Euripides
4.0
A really exciting opening with the ghost of Polydorus hovering over the scene and foretelling the terrible events that will happen to Hecuba (the wife of Priam): that she will both find his body (he is her son, she sent him away in order to save him, but didn’t realize the plan failed) and have to deal with the human sacrifice of one of her few remaining daughters, Polyxena (which is portrayed as Polyxena accepting her fate as better than slavery, which may not be the best way to write from the perspective of a woman who is being ritually murdered). Agamemnon comes to Hecuba’s defense over the murder of Polydorus and ends up helping her get revenge. Hecuba herself is an extraordinary heroine.
I read the William Arrowsmith translation in the beautiful hardcover four volume [b:The Complete Greek Tragedies|51812701|The Complete Greek Tragedies (4-vol. set)|Aeschylus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564028779l/51812701._SX50_SY75_.jpg|57046938] edited by [a:David Grene|176021|David Grene|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Richard Lattimore|13810479|Richard Lattimore|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
I read the William Arrowsmith translation in the beautiful hardcover four volume [b:The Complete Greek Tragedies|51812701|The Complete Greek Tragedies (4-vol. set)|Aeschylus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564028779l/51812701._SX50_SY75_.jpg|57046938] edited by [a:David Grene|176021|David Grene|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Richard Lattimore|13810479|Richard Lattimore|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].