New-York tribune., 1918-10-20
Euripides
Did
THOUGHTFUL and illuminat
ing article on Euripides an
\ peared in recent issue of "Tle

Fortnightly Review" It's p,
thor is w. L. Courtney. little Of # =
here reprinted:
"Euripides may be said to have soundca
the school OF dramatic realism He s1,,
gives piquant hints as to the limits ..
realism as an Interpretation CO lie. E,,
position, his scope, his intention, have bae.
the subjects of much controversy-rane;,n
from Aristotle's admiration, the most trss;s
of poets,' and Mrs. Brownings tribute -
! Our Euripdes, the human down "a .so
scorn Of Walter Savage Landor and tho
vitrioiic abuse OF Algernon Charles s7-;-.
burne.
"On the whole the ancient world adm;sed
him much more than the modern vor,d
seems inclined to do Schieeel's cr;te;sao
Of him in his Theatre Of the Creeks' :
childish in its petulance and Injustice n,
the other hand certain English scholar.-
DR.. Verrall and Professor Gilbert afurrar
for instance, to mention only two names
are quite prepared to concede to him ,hs
very highest honors.
let Us ask ourselves first-What ;s :,
precisely that Euripides did? To that .he
reply in the broadest and simplest fashion
is that he altered the dramatic formula. m.
deYmined the aSioms and postulates of h;s
predecessors, and challenged the prejudices
religious and ethical, Of the more ccnssr,s.
tive of his fellow citizens. II ever there
! was man determined epater les bouresos
to shock the respectabiity OF the uidd,e
c)ass-it was Euripides. It var uotb;co
less than q revolution at which he aimed
revolution Of thought about things human
and divine
"He was pupil Of Anaxagoras. a darn
physical philosopher who suffered for his
temerity in calling the sun molten m.sr
or metal; he was friend Of Socrates. who
had to drink the cup of hemlock for insro.
ducing new gods. And he was a silent mr..
communicative, solitary man who loved
birds and the sea, loved working in cave
! at Salams, but eschewed the companion
ship of his fellows; who pondered the
deepest problems Of life and suggested \,
means OF his dramatic art the graves,
doubts about the divine denizens o.
Olympus.
Remember, too, that this recluse s,ho
was one Of the first men to collect Iihrar~
only won the first prize five times .,s
yet he wrote poems go remeniberable tins.
Athenian cautives in the stone ousrrias ..
Syracuse gained their freedom by recit;pp
them to their captors, and on their return
TO Athens sought out the old man to thanl
him for their recovered libertv. He did no.
Write tor the people, but for student: and
yet MS dramas We're so we'll known that
Arlseophanes could be sure that his ieeY;no
aiiuslons to the Euripidean texts could be-
appreciated by popular audience.
Two other facts about him NAV be re-
called He was forced to leave Athens.
where his notorious skepticisrn was bringing
MN into trouble, and he then wrote in 70
tlrement for the Macedonian court Of Ayche-
iaus drama on the new cult of p;onvsus
apparently full Of reverence, which no ore
mas been able thoroughly to understand
from that day to this. Was he reeantinp
his early skepticism? We do not know
ne most succinct way Of explaining wha;
=, .,e o'o Is 20 say, as vas said in ancient
',i"es' eheo ne drew men and women. not as
'"eS ought to be, but as they are Now,
whenever dramatist elects to portray man
anu as IL Is ne creates a revolution and is
sure TO be called a cynic Unscientifc ar
artists-are a generous folk
ana 'hey love to adorn the characters tbev
oFa" WITH Gil kinds of trappines and deco.
fative Clothes, sometimes Disgusting the
real and essential elements in the ,ro.ess
sc when our reformer insists on taking off
Eneir clothes and exhibits men and women
!" their nudity ell kinds of unpleasant reve-
= 'aSlons come to light and the refoymer i.
s'Sied morose satirist and eventuslly per-
"aps' dangerous atheist. So il hapnenea
!" 'ne times OF Euripides, as also il hap
re"eu III the times OF Balzac and Zola ana
Aoee" Inc world as depicted by Dickens Is
very olHerent from the world as IL sppearsS
10 Ihackeray. Humanity in the ,l.v. ~
victor hugo cuts very different figure
from humanity in the plavs Of n,res 81.
Augier, Hervieu and nr;srv Az -,
-a1schylus thundersd his ;aub;.. .rs h,s
oi'hyrambs he gave to his heroes and hero
.neS stature as OF the gods: while Eurip~
was content TO garb his dramstis per.
'o"~ WIN rags so that the bare bones OF
sneir humanity might be visible to all sp,.
tstors." W.
concluding his thesis, Mr. Courtney
writes:
deeply thoughtful man. he vas
throughout struggling with the problems
" eV'i and the possibility OF divine gov
ernment; and from time 70 time gave utter
Ahce 70 hIe doubts or his surrnjses In &C.
eoroance with his prevalent mood. Like
all OF US IN our own smaller degree. he
safieo IN his opinion as different facets Of
'he great mystery presented themselves to
ms gaze Let US not forget two things:
1usipldes was realist, but he was also Q
Ic1OImer.- In the SC
wants 70 take the tinsel off military glory
a"a 70 sho" what an awful thing war Is.
ana II he is skeptc he, too, can rise 70
some mystical faith of Pantheism For hs
puts in the mouth of Hecubs-also in this