The Trojan Women

About the book

The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It was first presented at the City Dionysia of 415 BCE, along with two other unconnected tragedies, Alexandros and Palamedes, and the comedic satyr play Sisyphos, all of which have since been lost to antiquity.

The play is a famous and powerful indictment of the barbarous cruelties of war. It was first produced only months after the Athenians captured the city-state of Melos, butchering its men and reducing its women to slavery, and the mood of the drama may well have been influenced by Athenian atrocities.

"The Trojan Women" follows the fates of Hecuba, Andromache, Cassandra and the other women of Troy after their city has been sacked, their husbands killed, and their remaining families about to be taken away as slaves (it runs parallel to the events in Euripides play Hecuba). It is often considered one of Euripides greatest works, and among the best anti-war plays ever written.