About the Book:

In this accessible and beautifully written study of Euripides, the first study of all the plays of Euripides for thirty years, J. Michael Walton provides a wide-ranging appreciation of the playwright's entire canon. Euripides Our Contemporary treats these ancient dramas as vital engagements with issues of a moral, social, psychological, and political nature, as significant today as when the works were first performed. Walton moves with expert familiarity through all the plays, emphasizing what Euripides might have to say to us as our "contemporary." The book considers how Euripides finds parallels to ordinary life in the world of myth, how characters behave under extraordinary pressure and how personal responsibility may be absolved by circumstance, and discusses the nature of his theatre, the great roles, and the playwrights most influenced by his work.

What people say:

"Euripides is very much a relevant voice in our time and Walton has gone to great lengths in his career and in his writing to remind us of that." — Comparative Drama

"Throughout, Walton produces a complete picture of a dynamic and iconoclastic dramatist.... His easy familiarity with the material and his enthusiasm for the theatrical possibilities that Euripides continues to offer are infectious." — Comparative Drama

"Walton's script-centered focus, and his ability to keep his eye on the larger picture, will provide a fair amount of food for thought.... [A] stimulating and enjoyable work." — Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"In this masterful reevaluation of Euripides, Michael Walton recasts the playwright in light of his resonance for today's translators and directors. Springing from the rehearsal room rather than the page, Walton shows us not only why we are ready for Euripides, but why we so desperately need him." — Mary Louise Hart, J. Paul Getty Museum

"A useful, reader-friendly introduction aimed at non-specialists, Euripides Our Contemporary offers detailed summaries of Euripides' plays, along with keen observations on their relevance for today's theater. Walton demonstrates how the tragedian's 'shocks to the system' have lost none of their power over the centuries." — Rush Rehm, author of Radical Theatre: Greek Tragedy and the Modern World

About the Author:

J. Michael Walton is a theater historian, translator, and director, and Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Hull. His books on Greek tragedy include Euripides Our Contemporary.