Tim Trzaskalik

In a style reminiscent of fables or fairy tales, with their kings, princesses, and monsters, Mayotte Bollack retells the nineteen surviving plays of Euripides. The narrative voice replaces the dramatic form, reflecting the silent author who has stepped back from his characters. "In Thebes, in Greece, there was a young girl of great beauty, the daughter of King Cadmus." Thus begins "The Bacchae." The paraphrase here is not didactic; it does not simplify Euripides' dramatic constructions but, on the contrary, aims to convey everything, sacrificing none of the rich meanings of the originals. It is like a second-degree translation, where the dramaturgy becomes storytelling. In this process, Euripides' political and intellectual engagement, his unrestrained creativity, his extraordinary freedom in handling dramatic forms, and the juxtaposition of the tragic and the comic are brought to the forefront by Mayotte Bollack, who unfolds the tension between tragedy and comedy in her language. The Trojan War over "the most beautiful woman in the world." If it weren't so tragic, it would be comical: "All Greek men felt their manhood insulted and regarded this abduction as an affront: A barbarian united them by having made them all cuckolds.".