Andromache

Andromache is a Greek tragedy written by Euripides one of the great playwrights of ancient Greece. It was first performed in Athens in 425 BC and is based on the mythological character Andromache the widow of the Trojan prince Hector. The play begins with Andromache being taken captive by the Greek hero Neoptolemus who has killed her husband and taken her as his concubine. Andromache is now a slave in Neoptolemus household and has a young son named Molossus. As the play unfolds Andromache and Neoptolemus clash over their differing beliefs and desires. Andromache is devoted to her son and is desperate to secure his future while Neoptolemus is torn between his love for Andromache and his duty to his new wife Hermione. The play also features the character of Peleus Neoptolemus father who attempts to mediate between the conflicting parties. The play explores themes of loyalty revenge and the consequences of war. Euripides portrays Andromache as a sympathetic and complex character torn between her love for her son and her desire for revenge against Neoptolemus. Neoptolemus meanwhile is depicted as a conflicted and flawed hero struggling to reconcile his duty with his emotions.