This way out of the impasse argues that the plays present not a particular argument or a coherent point of view, but a conflict over values traditionally embodied in tragedy. Part I, 'Toward Interpretation,' describes the confused situation of Euripidean criticism and sets forth the author's view of the confrontation between Euripides and his tradition. Part II, 'Four Plays,' applies these observations to the interpretation of selected works. Michelini shows that although Heracles is Euripides' most heroic protagonist, his comic associations, his non-heroic bow, his civilizing exploits and his interest in domestic values, allow the hero to embody conflicting cultural values. Rather than viewing the young woman's sacrifice as a noble foil to the cynical plots of the other characters, she argues that the artificial sentimentality of Polyxena's gestures exposes the emptiness of the heroic model.
Structural oppositions can sometimes lead to oversimplification.
The portrait of Euripides the anti-traditionalist can likewise be overly negative. Michelini's analysis of these plays is illuminating and challenging, but the wealth of valuable observations tends to reveal important antitheses without developing a broader interpretation of the drama. Euripides and the Tragic Tradition asks all the right questions. If Michelini fails to fashion a clear portrait of the Protean poet, she helps us to understand why the ancient world hated and loved him more than any other playwright.