The Bacchae and Other Plays

The Bacchae and Other Plays is a Penguin Classics collection featuring four tragedies by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides: The Bacchae, Ion, Helen, and Archelaus. The Bacchae, Euripides’ final masterpiece produced posthumously in 405 BCE, centers on the god Dionysus, who returns to Thebes disguised as a stranger to punish King Pentheus and his family for denying his divine birth; in a frenzy induced by the god, the Theban women, including Pentheus’s mother Agave, tear the king limb from limb during a ritualistic orgy on Mount Cithaeron, exploring themes of divine retribution, ecstasy, rationality versus primal instinct, and the perils of hubris. Ion dramatizes a tale of divine rape, mistaken identity, and reconciliation as Apollo’s son Ion reunites with his mother Creusa amid temple intrigues in Delphi. Helen reimagines the Trojan War myth with Helen never reaching Troy but residing in Egypt, weaving a story of illusion, longing, and rescue by her husband Menelaus. Archelaus, less commonly staged, recounts the mythical founding of the Macedonian dynasty through the hero’s trials and divine interventions. Together, these plays showcase Euripides’ innovative style, psychological depth, and critique of gods and mortals alike.