Circa 484-407/406 B.C.E.
Tragic Playwright

Limited Popularity. Euripides is the youngest of the three surviving Greek tragedians. His work had far more influence on later drama than did the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles, and survives in much greater quantity. He started to produce plays in 455 B.C.E., and first achieved victory in a dramatic contest in 441 B.C.E., but compared with Sophocles his plays were generally not popular in his own lifetime (he won only four other competitions), and the surly figure he cut in the ancient biographical tradition seems to be a reflection of this lack of affection felt for his work. A total of nineteen plays under his name have been preserved, including the only complete Satyr play, Cyclops. Of these works, the ones that can be dated are Alcestis (438 B.C.E.), Medea (431 B.C.E.), Hippolytus (428 B.C...