Author Description

Frederick Apthorp Paley (1815-1888) published Volume 1 of his English commentary on Euripides in 1857. It contains the Greek text of seven of Euripides' most popular plays: Rhesus, Medea, Hippolytus, Alcestis, Heraclidae, Supplices and Troades, each with an introductory essay. Paley's detailed commentary is given at the foot of each page of Greek text. It discusses Euripides' language and style, explaining difficult grammatical structures, syntax and vocabulary; poetic form and Euripides' innovative approach to composing tragedy; textual variation between manuscripts; the historical and literary context of each play; and their reception history. Paley's work greatly influenced Euripidean scholarship: for over a century it was a widely used teaching tool in schools and universities. An outstanding piece of classical scholarship and a key text in the history of Euripidean interpretation, it deserves continued consideration by future generations of scholars and students.