Euripides Heracleidae
Euripides, Heracleidae (Ἡρακλεῖδαι). Digital edition based on: Euripidis Fabulae. Gilbert Murray, ed. Oxford. Clarendon Press (1902). Original SGML digital edition by The Perseus Project, G. Crane, ed. This derived edition, C. Blackwell, Furman University. 2026. Source texts and code for this page (and others) on GitHub. Licensed CC-BY-NC. urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg004:
Euripides (c. 480–406 BC) was an Athenian playwright and one of the three principal tragedians of classical Greece, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. Born in the deme of Phlya near Athens, he produced approximately 92 plays over a career spanning from his debut in 455 BC until his death, with 18 or 19 surviving intact today.
Euripides competed 22 times at the City Dionysia festival, securing only four first-place victories—three posthumously in 405 BC with productions including Bacchae and Iphigenia at Aulis—reflecting mixed contemporary reception despite his enduring influence.
In his final years, Euripides accepted patronage from King Archelaus of Macedon, composing works like Archelaus there before dying in 406 BC, after which his reputation surged, with Aristophanes and later audiences praising his rhetorical skill and emotional depth.
Heracleidae (Ἡρακλεῖδαι, The Children of Heracles) was first performed circa 430 BC. The drama centers on the persecuted offspring of the hero Heracles, accompanied by their aged protector Iolaus and mother Alcmene, who arrive as suppliants at Marathon seeking asylum from Eurystheus, the king of Argos intent on exterminating them to nullify a prophecy foretelling his demise at the hands of one of Heracles' descendants. Under the leadership of King Demophon, the Athenians grant refuge, sparking conflict with Argive forces and culminating in the voluntary self-sacrifice of Heracles' daughter Macaria to secure victory, a miraculous rejuvenation of Iolaus, and the eventual capture and execution of Eurystheus by Alcmene.