The Philosopher
Euripides
The face
The background
- Nationality:
- Greek
- Period:
- Classical Greece
The synopsis
Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) was an Athenian playwright, one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the playwrights for whom any plays have survived in full. Nineteen plays attributed to Euripides have survived more or less complete, with many fragments of his other works also extant. His works became foundational in Hellenistic literary education. Euripides is recognized for his innovations in drama, particularly in presenting mythical heroes as relatable individuals and exploring their psychological complexities. Aristotle called him 'the most tragic of poets' for his focus on human suffering. His influence extends to both tragedy and comedy, with his characters and themes resonating with later playwrights like Shakespeare, Racine, Ibsen, and Strindberg. His portrayal of women, their struggles, and their inner lives has garnered significant attention. While sometimes satirized by contemporaries like Aristophanes for his intellectualism, Euripides' plays profoundly impacted subsequent dramatic traditions.
The works
Medea
Hippolytus
Electra
The Trojan Women
Bacchae
The quotes
To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter.
The greatest pleasure of life is love.
Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.
When a man's stomach is full it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor.
Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
He was a wise man who originated the idea of God.
There is the sky, which is all men's together.
The bold are helpless without cleverness.
New faces have more authority than accustomed ones.
Do not plan for ventures before finishing what's at hand.
Much effort, much prosperity.
It's not beauty but fine qualities, my girl, that keep a husband.
Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.
Slight not what's near through aiming at what's far.
Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account.
No one is happy all his life long.
Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgment.
There is something in the pang of change More than the heart can bear, Unhappiness remembering happiness.
Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.
'Twas but my tongue, 'twas not my soul that swore.
Prosperity is full of friends.
Happiness is brief. It will not stay. God batters at its sails.
Some wisdom you must learn from one who's wise.
Whoso neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future.
Danger gleams like sunshine to a brave man's eyes.
Life has no blessing like a prudent friend.
Love makes the time pass. Time makes love pass.
Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.
Leave no stone unturned.
Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.
Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.
Silence is true wisdom's best reply.
To persevere, trusting in what hopes he has, is courage in a man.
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.
Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.
But learn that to die is a debt we must all pay.
Joint undertakings stand a better chance when they benefit both sides.
Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent.
Better a serpent than a stepmother!
One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.
The good and the wise lead quiet lives.
No one is truly free, they are a slave to wealth, fortune, the law, or other people restraining them from acting according to their will.
Down on your knees, and thank heaven, fasting, for a good man's love.
There is just one life for each of us: our own.
Youth is the best time to be rich, and the best time to be poor.
He is not a lover who does not love forever.
Cleverness is not wisdom.
One does nothing who tries to console a despondent person with word. A friend is one who aids with deeds at a critical time when deeds are called for.
Authority is never without hate.
Lucky that man whose children make his happiness in life and not his grief, the anguished disappointment of his hopes.
Ignorance of one's misfortunes is clear gain.
The best of seers is he who guesses well.
The wavering mind is but a base possession.