Greek Tragedy XIX: Euripides’s Heracleidae, or Somehow… Someday… Somewhere…

We already read Sophocles’s take on the death of Heracles. In this episode, we’ll look at Euripides’s take on what happens to the children of Heracles, or Heracleidae in Greek.

Discussion Prompts

1. If you were directing this play today, where and/or when would you set it? How might this change some of the characters?
2. What do you think the chorus is up to that puts them so close at hand when Iolaus calls for help?
3. Why is Eurystheus so threatened by the Heracleidae?
4. Why is Eurystheus threatened by Iolaus?
5. AP Credit: Compare/contrast the characters of Eurystheus and Demophon.
6. In some translations, the human sacrifice is an unnamed maiden. In the E. P. Coleridge translation I used to write this episode, she is given the name Macaria. Does this make a difference in how we view the human sacrifice storyline? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think the maiden/Macaria is so ready and willing to die for the other Heracleidae?
8. What do you think about the character of Alcmene?
9. Why does Alcmene’s plan follow the letter (if not necessarily the spirit) of Athenian law?
10. What do you think happens after this play ends?