EURIPIDES

EURIPIDES

Salamis, approx. 480 - 406 B.C.
THE VIRTUE OF PEOPLE SHINES EVEN AFTER DEATH
THE VIRTUE OF PEOPLE SHINES EVEN AFTER DEATH - EURIPIDES

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One of the great tragic poets of ancient Greece. According to prevailing information, he was born in 480 BC in Salamis and, in fact, on the same day that Xerxes' fleet was defeated. But it is most likely that he was born in 485 BC, as the so-called Pario marble testifies. According to this, he was the son of Mnisarchos, from the Attic municipality of Flyas (today's Chalandri). Many of the ancients argued that Euripides did not come from an aristocratic family, and his mother Cleito was often ridiculed by the comic poets for her lowly occupation as a greengrocer. However, other sources prove that the generation of Euripides, like that of his two older colleagues, Aeschylus and Sophocles, was also noble. His father had considerable real estate in Salamis,

Euripides received a thorough education, as his intellectual products show. As a young man, he took part in festivals in his hometown as Apollo's orchestrator and pyrophore, and excelled in wrestling and boxing. But he quickly abandoned physical exercises and devoted himself to intellectual pursuits. A theorist by nature, and leaning towards philosophy, he studied the writings of the older philosophers, and followed the teaching of his contemporaries, Anaxagoras, Proficus, Protagoras. He frequented the circle of Socrates, who, it is said, although he seldom went to the theater, liked to attend the plays of Euripides, whenever he premiered a new play of his. It is natural that Euripides was greatly influenced by his association with the wise, to whom he owes much for the development of his intellect. He had, it is said, rich library, he was a scholar, and this is also inferred from the knowledge that is richly diffused in all his works. From these, it also appears that if Euripides stayed away from active politics, he was careful and monitored the political issues of the day and had maximum zeal to teach his sound political theories.

Euripides disapproved of tyranny, but he was also successful against the oligarchy and its representatives, the rich and, in general, the arrogant and cruel, and preferred that the middle class of citizens prevail, whom he considers the saviors of the city and stable guardians of order . His patriotism is ardent and enthusiastic, for which the orator Lycurgos praises him, who saved some of the poet's verses, which testify to his loyalty and love for his country:

Oh patris, eithe pantes, oi naiousoi se,
outo filoien os ego kai radios
oikoimen an se k' ouden an parchois kakon

Moreover, Euripides does not leave any opportunity, to attack the enemies of the homeland, the Lacedaemonians. In his family life he had accidents, although what the comedians gave to the public is not very reliable. It is said that his wife Melito was cheating on him. He had three sons, and the third, Euripides also by name, presented his father's dramas after his death. He spent the last years of his life at the Court of the Macedonian king Archelaus, who, being a philologist, invited many poets, scholars and artists to Pella, in order to brighten his reign.

To honor this royal patron, Euripides, wrote the tragedy "Archelaus", where he praises the Heraklides, as the founder of the Macedonian dynasty. Even his "Bacchies", it is said, were written to be performed in the theater of Archelaus. In the fall of 407, the great tragedian died in Macedonia and was buried there.

It is said that he was devoured by wild dogs, but this may be imaginary. His tomb, near Amphipolis, became a place of pilgrimage for his Athenian admirers, and near Athens, in his honor, a cenotaph was erected, with the following epigram:

The grave of Euripides in Hellas · the end of life in the Land of Macedonia ·
the homeland of Hellas, Athens · many Muses
he pleased, praised by many.

Later, at the suggestion of the orator Lycurgus, his bronze statue was erected in the theater of Dionysos. According to tradition, Euripides was sullen, brooding and rarely laughed. In other words, he had the strict physiognomy of a meticulous moralist rather than the creative gaiety of a divinely inspired poet.

Euripides, apart from an epinicium he wrote for Alcibiades, when he had won in chariot races, and an elegy for the Athenians who fell at Syracuse, in that destructive campaign, (415 - 413 BC), wrote 92 dramas and 3 tetralogies, of which few survived. On the back of the statue, which is in the Louvre Museum, and Euripides is shown seated, 37 of his dramas up to "Orestes" are written in alphabetical order. Only 19 reached us, including a satirical one, "Cyclops".

Euripides, as a modernist, often provoked the reservations of established order, the judges and the conservatives. But the youth loved him more and called him wise.

Works


Quotes


  1. THE VIRTUE OF PEOPLE SHINES EVEN AFTER DEATH
  2. THE COUNTRY SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE, BUT OF THOSE WHO GOVERN
  3. WEALTH IS TEMPORARY, NEVER STABLE
  4. NOONE EVER RESORTS TO WEAPONS UNJUSTIFIEDLY, WHEN HE LOVES HIS COUNTRY
  5. THERE IS NOTHING EQUAL BETWEEN PEOPLE
  6. ANGER CONTROL CHARACTERIZES PRUDENT PEOPLE
  7. NO ONE CAN THINK OF ANYTHING WHEN THEY ARE ANGRY
  8. THE FLOWER OF ANGER IS MANIA
  9. YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY
  10. THE WAY TO MAKE THE PEOPLE SEE THE BEAUTY OF JUSTICE IS TO TEACH THEM IN SIMPLE WAYS THE CONSEQUENCES OF INJUSTICE
  11. TO THE UNINITIATED, THE SAGE LOOKS CRAZY
  12. WHO KNOWS IF LIFE IS DEATH AND DEATH IS LIFE
  13. THE PAINS OF CHILDBIRTH ARE TERRIBLE, BUT THE SOUL OF A WOMAN IS ALWAYS FOND OF CHILDREN
  14. IF THE GODS ARE EVIL THEY ARE NOT GODS
  15. ENMITY BETWEEN RELATIVES AND FRIENDS IS TERRIBLE AND DIFFICULT TO SETTLE
  16. SECOND THOUGHTS ARE THE BEST
  17. NOTHING IS MORE DEAR THAN THE FATHERLAND, AND HAPPY IS HE WHO, WHILE PROSPEROUS, REMAINS IN HIS OWN COUNTRY
  18. THERE IS NO GREATER SUFFERING THAN LOSING YOUR FATHERLAND
  19. THE OLD MEN WISH IN VAIN TO DIE, BLAMING OLD AGE AND LONG TIME OF LIFE. WHEN DEATH APPROACHES, NO ONE WANTS TO DIE
  20. AWFUL IS SOMEONE TO GET RICH AND KNOW NOTHING BUT WEALTH
  21. SUFFERINGS MUST BE ENDURED
  22. NO BRAVE MAN DEIGNS TO KILL HIS ENEMY SNEAKILY
  23. A MODERATE LIFE PROVIDES SECURITY, GREATNESS DOESN'T LAST LONG AND OFTEN BRINGS GREAT DISASTERS TO MANY FAMILIES
  24. THE REPUBLIC WHICH IS SUFFERING FROM INTERNAL DISTURBANCE AND MALICIOUS PLANNING IS NOT RIGHT
  25. DON'T TRY TO CORRECT OTHERS, WHILE YOU ARE FULL OF FAULTS
  26. YOUNG HANDS ARE STRONG FOR ACTION, BUT OPINIONS OF THE ELDERS ARE BETTER
  27. LUCK MUST BE LEFT UNHINDERED
  28. IT'S NOT ONLY SILVER AND GOLD COIN THAT HAVE VALUE, VIRTUE IS ALSO A CURRENCY AND SHOULD ALSO HAVE EXCHANGE POWER
  29. THE DEEDS OF TYRANTS ARE TERRIBLE. SINCE THEY ARE RARELY CONTROLLED AND ACT ARBITRARILY IN MOST ISSUES, THEY HAVE DIFFICULTY SETTING ASIDE THEIR PASSIONS, IN FAVOR OF REASON AND LAW
  30. WHAT THE CHILD LEARNS WITH LOVE, IT KEEPS WITH AFFECTION UP TO OLD AGE. THEREFORE, CHILDREN MUST BE EDUCATED WELL
  31. A WOMAN SHOULD NOT ONLY TAKE CARE OF HER BEAUTY, BUT ALSO OF HER VIRTUES
  32. THE FEMALE MIND IS AWESOME AT PLANNING STRATAGEMS
  33. THE CASTLE, THE MONEY AND EVERYTHING VALUABLE CAN BE EASILY GUARDED, BUT THE WOMAN IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GUARD
  34. ANGER IS STRONGER THAN THOUGHT, AND THIS IS THE CAUSE OF MUCH EVIL IN PEOPLE
  35. NO ONE IS HAPPY ALL THROUGH THE END
  36. NO OTIOSE HAS EVER BEEN GLORIFIED
  37. THERE IS NO ACQUISITION MORE VALUABLE THAN VIRTUE
  38. MONEY IS PRECIOUS TO MAN, AND IT HAS AWESOME POWER
  39. THE SIMPLE WORD IS TRUE AND DOESN'T NEED FANCY EXPLANATIONS
  40. IT IS BETTER FOR ONE TO LIVE SIMPLY. WITHOUT WEALTH, ONE IS MORE CALM AND SAFE
  41. ABUNDANCE OF WEALTH DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE A MAN HAPPY. YOU OFTEN FIND HAPPINESS IN A HUMBLE SITUATION
  42. VERY RARERY IS HAPPINESS COMPLETE AND UNTOUCHED BY SORROW
  43. COWARDS HAVE NO VALUE
  44. WHEN YOU'RE ANGRY YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING
  45. OBSERVANCE OF THE LAWS IS THE COHESIVE BOND OF THE REPUBLIC
  46. THE ROAD TO VIRTUE IS DIFFICULT
  47. ONLY FOR SOMETHING WORTHY SHOULD YOU WORK HARD
  48. THE MAN WHO IS NOT ANGRY IS WISE
  49. WITHOUT WORKING HARD, YOU CANNOT BE HAPPY. IT IS AWFUL IF THE YOUNG DO NOT WANT TO WORK HARD
  50. HARD WORK IS THE FATHER OF GLORY
  51. THERE IS NO GREATER SORROW FOR PEOPLE THAN TO SEE THEIR CHILDREN DEAD
  52. THE POLITICIAN WHO WINS BY HIS ELOQUENCE IS WISE, BUT IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO WIN BY DEEDS
  53. HE WHO NEGLECTS LEARNING IN HIS YOUTH HE HAS LOST BOTH THE TIME THAT HAS PASSED AND THE FUTURE IS DEAD FOR HIM
  54. NOTHING MORE DEAR TO CHILDREN THAN THE MOTHER
  55. TIME REVEALS EVERYTHING TO THE LATER GENERATIONS, IT IS A CHATTER THAT TALKS EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T ASK HIM
  56. SIMPLE IS THE WORD OF TRUTH
  57. WHEN THE PEOPLE REBEL AND SURRENDER TO THEIR RAGE, IT IS A FIERCE FLAME, TRYING TO EXTINGUISH IT IS IN VAIN
  58. THOUSANDS OF ARGUMENTS DO NOT BRING THE RESULT THAT MONEY BRINGS
  59. IF EVERYONE AGREED ON WHAT IS GOOD AND WISE AND WHAT IS UNFAIR, THERE WOULD BE NO DISAGREEMENTS IN THE WORLD
  60. THE PATIENT, ALTHOUGH THEY RARELY PROTEST, HOWEVER, IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES AND WHEN PROVOKED, THEY COURAGELY EXPRESS THEIR THOUGHTS
  61. IT IS OF NO USE TO BE ANGRY WITH CIRCUMSTANCES, SINCE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE DEAF
  62. WEALTHY PEACE AND MUCH BETTER THAN THE HAPPY GODS
  63. PEOPLE MUST DARE
  64. ONE IS EASIER GUARDED AGAINST AN ANGRY WOMAN OR, MAN, THAN AGAINST A CUNNING AND SILENT SAGE
  65. ZEUS IS PUNISHER OF THE PROUD
  66. MAKING A DECISION AFTER THINKING WELL IS MUCH BETTER BUT MAKING A DECISION QUICKLY WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT
  67. HE WHO CAN LIVE HIS LIFE COMFORTABLY, KEEPING HIS CALM IN CASE OF MISFORTUNE, HE IS CONSIDERED HAPPY
  68. HAPPY IS HE WHO WAS ABLE TO CROSS A STORMY SEA AND MANAGED TO ARRIVE ALIVE AND WELL IN A SAFE HARBOR
  69. HAPPY IS HE WHO HAS STUDIED HISTORY
  70. THE VIRTUOUS WORK HARD
  71. VIRTUE IS THE GREATEST GOOD AMONG HUMAN GOODS
  72. THROUGH EFFORT COMES VIRTUE
  73. FEAR THE OLD AGE, IT DOESN'T COME ALONE
  74. WHEN THE CRAZINESS OF TWO MIX, IT BECOMES TERRIBLY BAD
  75. IT IS GOOD FOR A YOUNG HAND TO LEAD AN OLD MAN
  76. A WISE MAN IS NOT ONE WHO LETS THE SAME PERSON FAIL
  77. THOSE WHO EXCESSIVELY AVOID VENUS ARE AS SICK AS THOSE WHO EXCESSIVELY CHASE HER
  78. YOU SHOULD NOT SPEAK A GOOD WORD FOR BAD DEEDS
  79. THERE ARE THREE VIRTUES THAT ONE SHOULD PRACTICE: TO HONOR THE GODS, THE PARENTS WHO RAISED HIM, AND THE LAWS. IF HE DOES THIS, HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE CROWN OF GLORY
  80. DEFECTS ARE CURED..., BUT FACTS ARE NOT CORRECTED
  81. NO GOD HAS HOSTILITY TOWARD HUMANS
  82. AGED HUSBAND IS BITTER FOR A YOUNG WOMAN
  83. THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN THE REPUBLIC AND THE LAWS
  84. WHEN THERE ARE LAWS, BOTH THE POOR AND THE RICH ARE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW
  85. TIME DOES NOT DESTROY WHAT'S LEFT OF VIRTUOUS PEOPLE
  86. HAVE COURAGE, BECAUSE THE POWER OF LAW IS GREAT
  87. NONE OF THE GODS ARE EVIL
  88. HOPE IS DEAR TO PEOPLE, BUT IT DAMAGES A LOT
  89. THE DESIRE OF WEALTH IN SOME IS EXCESSIVE, IN OTHERS MODERATE
  90. THE WILLS OF THE GODS FOLLOW SECRET ROADS AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT DISASTER AWAITS HIM
  91. SPEAK WELL
  92. GOD STRENGTHENES THE EAGER ONE MORE
  93. A WOMAN, WHETHER INNOCENT OR GUILTY, GETS BAD REPUTATION JUST BY BEING ABSENT FROM HER HOME
  94. WOMAN IS A CREATURE FULL OF FEAR. SHE IS VERY AFRAID OF FIGHTS AND SHAKES AS SOON AS SHE SEES A SWORD. HOWEVER WITHIN THE CIRCLE OF HER HOME IS THE MOST BLOODTHIRSTY OF THEM ALL
  95. WHAT STARTS BAD, WILL END BAD
  96. THE SATISFACTION OF BAD DESIRE IS BRIEF
  97. HE WHO IS ATTRACTED BY WEALTH AND POSITION AND MARRIES A CORRUPTED WOMAN IS A FOOL
  98. THE FORTRESS AND THE MONEY AND EVERYTHING VALUABLE CAN BE EASILY GUARDED. HOWEVER, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GUARD A WOMAN
  99. WHEN YOU ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING, YOU ARE UNJUSTLY AND ILLEGALLY PROSECUTED BY YOUR COUNTRY
  100. IF YOU ARE TO BE UNJUST, YOU ARE RIGHT TO BE UNJUST FOR POWER
  101. IF I HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE PLACED AMONG THE WISE, BECAUSE ALL THOSE WHO SUCCEED ARE CONSIDERED AND CALLED WISE
  102. OH VENUS, YOUR KINGDOM RULES THE ENTIRE GENERATION OF MEN
  103. COURAGE AND PRUDENCE MUST ACCOMPANY EACH OTHER, BECAUSE WHEN ONE OF THE TWO IS MISSING, THE OTHER IS NOTHING ALONE.
  104. EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOVE THEIR COUNTRY
  105. A MODEST WIFE IS PREFERABLE THAN A CORRUPTED ARISTOCRAT
  106. THE SEA COVERS ALL THE EVILS OF MEN
  107. THE GOOD FROM THE BAD CAN'T BE SEPARATE, BUT THERE IS SOME CONNECTION
  108. LOVE, CHILDREN, YOUR MOTHER, BECAUSE THERE IS NO LOVE MORE PURE AND MORE SWEET THAN THAT
  109. WAR IS THRICE PREFERABLE TO ONE BIRTH
  110. FRIENDS HAVE NOTHING BETWEEN THEM AS THEIR OWN. EVERYTHING BETWEEN THEM IS COMMON
  111. INTELLIGENT PEOPLE SHOULD HOPE
  112. SEE THE INFINITE AETHER HIGH, HOLDING THE EARTH TIGHTLY IN HIS WET EMBRACE, BELIEVE THAT HE IS GOD
  113. SLOWLY BUT STEADILY THE POWER OF THE GODS IS MOVING
  114. WITHOUT ANGER EVERY PERSON IS WISE
  115. ONE IS EASIER GUARDED AGAINST AN ANGRY WOMAN OR, MAN, THAN AGAINST A CUNNING AND SILENT SAGE
  116. EVIL DEEDS BECOME AN EXAMPLE AND A MIRROR FOR THE VIRTUOUS
  117. EVERY KIND OF WISDOM IS IN THE GOOD ONES
  118. FLATTERY DESTROYES WELL FOUNDED CITIES AND HOMES. WE DON'T WANT WORDS THAT CHARM THE EARS, BUT THOSE THAT MOVE US TO DECENT DEEDS
  119. THERE ARE THREE CLASSES OF CITIZENS: THE RICH, HARMFUL AND GREEDY, THE POOR, DRIVEN BY THE WORDS OF CORRUPT LEADERS, AND THE LAWFUL WHO SAVE THE REPUBLIC
  120. WHEN TWO ARE TALKING, AND ONE IS ANGRY, THE ONE WHO DOESN'T TALK IS WISE
  121. WHEN THE TONGUE SWEARS, THE SOUL DOESN'T NECESSARILY SWEAR AS WELL
  122. I WOULD NOT APPOINT SOMEONE A GOVERNOR OR ARMY COMMANDER FOR HIS WEALTH. THE LEADER MUST HAVE PRUDENCE AND WISDOM
  123. IT IS DISGUSTING TO THE SUPERIOR PEOPLE TO SEE A DESPICABLE PERSON BEING AWARDED THE SUPERIOR OFFICES RULING THE PEOPLE BY HIS WORD