Euripides, Rhesus

Sonia Francisetti Brolin (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Laura Swift, The Open University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -450 - c. -330

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Tragedy

Resources

Rhesus is one of the plays preserved as a selection of the works of Euripides, whose authorship will be discussed below. It is modeled on Book Ten of the Iliad, the so-called Doloneia; indeed this drama is the only surviving dramatization of a Homeric story, except for Euripides’ satyr-play Cyclops.

The section of the Iliad known as the Doloneia is our earliest treatment of the legend of Rhesus, king of Thrace and owner of the best horses in the world after those of Achilles. Because the Trojans have advanced up to the Greek defensive moat, the Greeks have to take measures. They organize a reconnaissance mission by Diomedes and Odysseus that leads to the death of Dolon, …

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3252 words

Citation: Francisetti Brolin, Sonia. "Rhesus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 January 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38822, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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