Euripides

With its ribald chorus of ithyphallic half-man / half-horse creatures satyr drama was a peculiar part of the Athenian theatrical experience. Performed three times each year after a trilogy of tragedies it was an integral part of the 5th- and 4th-century City Dionysia a large festival in honour of the god Dionysus. <i>Euripides: Cyclops</i> is the first book-length study of this fascinating genre's only complete extant play a theatrical version of Odysseus' encounter with the monster Polyphemus. <br/><br/>Shaw begins with a look at the history of the genre following its development from early 6th-century religious processions up to the Hellenistic era. He then offers a comprehensive analysis of the <i>Cyclops'</i> plot and performance using the text (alongside ancient literary fragments and visual evidence) to determine the original viewing experience: the stage masks costumes actions and emotions. A detailed examination of the text reveals that Euripides associates and distinguishes his version of the story from previous iterations of the myth especially book nine of Homer's <i>Odyssey</i>. Euripides handles many of the same themes as his predecessors but he updates the <i>Cyclops</i> for the Athenian stage adapting his work to reflect and comment upon contemporary religious philosophical and literary-musical trends.