Euripides biography

485-406 BCE

Who Was Euripides?

Euripides was one of the best-known and most influential dramatists in classical Greek culture; of his 90 plays, 19 have survived. His most famous tragedies, which reinvent Greek myths and probe the darker side of human nature, include Medea, The Bacchae, Hippolytus, Alcestis and The Trojan Women.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Euripides
BORN: circa 485 BCE
DIED: 406 BCE
BIRTHPLACE: Athens, Greece
SPOUSE: Melito
CHILDREN: 3

Early Life

Very few facts of Euripides' life are known for certain.

Euripides pronunciation

He was born in Athens, Greece, around 485 BCE. His family was most likely a prosperous one; his father was named Mnesarchus or Mnesarchide, and his mother was named Cleito. He reportedly married a woman named Melito and had three sons.

Plays and Major Works

Over his career as a poet and dramatist, Euripides wrote approximately 90 plays, 19 of which have survived through manuscripts.

Of the three most famous tragic dramatists to