Women of Trakhis

Deianeira is an ordinary woman married to Herakles, the most feared and storied hero of the ancient world. To keep his affection and preserve her marriage, she must cope with her anxieties about his deadly labors and escapades, and must force herself to tolerate the conduct of a man whose volatile will is impossible to sway or question.

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Deianeira is an ordinary woman married to Herakles, the most feared and storied hero of the ancient world - and a canny and violent enforcer with a merciless temperament and legendary strength. To keep his affection and preserve her marriage, she must cope with her anxieties about his deadly labors and escapades, and must force herself to tolerate the conduct of a man whose volatile will is impossible to sway or question. But against the complex character of her husband, ultimately Deianeira's actions will lead each of them to an irredeemable downfall. In "Women of Trakhis", Sophocles challenges the very ideal of Greek manhood by giving equal notice to Herakles' valorous labors and to his savage acts of brutality and deceipt. In this phenomenal translation, Robert Bagg delivers an accurate but idiomatic, highly accessible rendering of the Greek original, suited for reading, teaching, or performing, and sure to open a new generation to the depth and power of Greek drama.