ABSTRACT
Ancient Greek tragedy came to Euripides with its general conditions fixed
in a manner which he could not attempt to alter. There is a governing diction, tone
and propriety which define the genre and sustains its elevation; three actors in a
play, a chorus, and subject-matter that must be taken from the heroic legends and
myths. Wounds and death were not supposed to be presented on stage. These are
some of the basic conventions of ancient Greek play. But it is widely held against
the background of the criticisms of Euripides‘ drama that his plays generally
represent a sharp departure from the existing traditions, customs, and theatrical
conventions of the tragic genre. To Aristophanes in particular, and some modern
scholars such as August W. Schlegel, Friedrich Schlegel, Ann Norris Michelini,
Paul Decharme, Stahlin Schmid and Ebener Dietrich, Euripides is an immoral
dramatist, a misogynist, an anti-traditionalist, impious, a lover of rhetoric, a
sophist, a systematic thinker and a skeptical dramatist whose plays show
nonconformist attitudes and views towards the traditional religion, morality and
the mythological stories of the tragic genre.
However, some other commentators like Adele Robert, Donald
Mastronarde, Helen Foley, Desmond Conacher, David Kovacs, and G. M. A.
Grube are of the view that Euripides is an innovative, realistic, and creative
dramatist, whose drama should not be misinterpreted from our modern
perspectives. Thus, there appears to be lack of consensus among ancient and
modern scholars about the interpretations of Euripides‘ plays
CDR, C (2021). Reassessing The Nonconformist Charges Against Euripides: A Study Of Selected Plays Of Euripides And Aristophanes’ Frogs. Afribary.com: Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://afribary.com/works/reassessing-the-nonconformist-charges-against-euripides-a-study-of-selected-plays-of-euripides-and-aristophanes-frogs
Coalition, CDR. "Reassessing The Nonconformist Charges Against Euripides: A Study Of Selected Plays Of Euripides And Aristophanes’ Frogs" Afribary.com. Afribary.com, 06 Apr. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/reassessing-the-nonconformist-charges-against-euripides-a-study-of-selected-plays-of-euripides-and-aristophanes-frogs . Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.
Coalition, CDR. "Reassessing The Nonconformist Charges Against Euripides: A Study Of Selected Plays Of Euripides And Aristophanes’ Frogs". Afribary.com, Afribary.com, 06 Apr. 2021. Web. 17 Apr. 2021. < https://afribary.com/works/reassessing-the-nonconformist-charges-against-euripides-a-study-of-selected-plays-of-euripides-and-aristophanes-frogs >.
Coalition, CDR. "Reassessing The Nonconformist Charges Against Euripides: A Study Of Selected Plays Of Euripides And Aristophanes’ Frogs" Afribary.com (2021). Accessed April 17, 2021. https://afribary.com/works/reassessing-the-nonconformist-charges-against-euripides-a-study-of-selected-plays-of-euripides-and-aristophanes-frogs