Euripides (c. 485-406 BCE) was an Athenian poet and playwright. Judged one of the best dramatists of ancient Athens—alongside Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BCE) and Sophocles (c. 496-406/405 BCE)—Euripides formally began competing in drama festival contests in 455 BCE and won first prize four times (and was nominated as a laureate from among festival contestants on more than twenty occasions). He reportedly composed 92 plays, of which only around 19 have survived the erosion of time. Here are 10 quotes from his timeless works.
- “All of our human life is full of pain
and there is no rest from toil.”
- Hippolytus (approximately line 190)
- “Sanity brings pain
but madness is a vile thing.”
- Hippolytus (approximately between lines 240-250)
- “Men do not judge justly with their eyes when, before they know for sure the true nature of a person’s heart, they hate on sight, though they have suffered no grievance.”
- Medea (approximately line 220)
- “If you present stupid people with a wisdom that is new, you will strike them as useless and idiotic. Then again, if you are considered superior to those who think they are subtly clever, you will be thought offensive in the city.”
- Medea (approximately line 300)
- “There’s no trusting the tongue. It can give counsel to other people’s thoughts, but when it speaks for itself, it brings abundant trouble upon us.”
- Hippolytus (approximately between lines 390-400)
- “Gold has more power with men than an infinity of words.”
- Medea (approximately between lines 960-970)
- “A bad man’s gifts can bring no good.”
- Medea (approximately line 615)
- “A woman who is quick-tempered—a man too for that matter—is easier to guard against than one who is clever and keeps quiet.”
- Medea (approximately line 320)
- “O Zeus, why have you given men clear ways to recognize what gold is counterfeit, but on the body put no stamp by which one should distinguish a bad man?”
- Medea (approximately line 519)
- “O mankind, how much you miss your aim and come to nothing! Why do you teach countless skills? There is nothing you cannot devise or discover, and yet there is one thing that you do not understand and have so far failed to hunt down—how to teach those who have no sense to think aright.”
- Hippolytus (approximately line 920)
Books cited:
- Euripides’ Hippolytus, translated by James Morwood in Medea and Other Plays (Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998, 2008).
- Euripides’ Medea, translated by James Morwood in Medea and Other Plays (Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998, 2008).
The beautiful music in the background is called Ischia, by The Mini Vandals.
All of the artworks used in this video were Public Domain or Open Access at the time of the video’s creation.
Artworks in the video include:
- Sisyphus, Painted By Antonio Zanchi (c. 1631-1722)
- The Daughters Of Pelias Asking Medea To Rejuvenate Their Father, By Charles-Édouard Chaise (c. 1759-1798)
- Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices, by Henry Fuseli (c. 1741-1825)
- The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (c. 1748–1825)
- Alexander The Great Threatened By His Father, Painted By Donato Creti (c. 1671 – 1749)
- Croesus Showing His Treasures To Solon, painted by Caspar van den Hoecke (c. 1585-1641/1648)
- The Burning Of Troy With The Flight Of Aeneas And Anchises, By François Nomé (c. 1593-1620)
- Prometheus Moulding Man from Clay, by Constantin Hansen (c. 1804-1880)
- Alcibiades And Socrates, Painted By François André Vincent (c. 1746-1816)
Thanks for watching and reading.
