The four plays newly translated for this volume are among Euripides most exciting works. Iphigenia among the Taurians is a story of escape contrasting Greek and barbarian civilization, set on the Black Sea at the edge of the known world. Bacchae, a profound exploration of the human psyche, deals with the appalling consequences of resistance to Dionysus, god of wine and unfettered emotion. Iphigenia at Aulis centers on the ultimate dysfunctional family as emotion is tested in the crucible of the Greek expedition against Troy. And Rhesus, probably the work of another playwright, is an action-packed Iliad in miniature, dealing with a grisly event in the Trojan War.