The Trojan women of Euripides

Gilbert Murray’s rendition brings Euripides’ ancient chorus of sorrow into clear, lyrical English, preserving the original’s haunting rhythm while offering helpful notes that illuminate the cultural and mythic references. The play opens in the ruined city of Troy, where the defeated women—Hecuba, Andromache, Cassandra and their companions—are forced to confront a bleak new reality imposed by their conquerors. In these opening scenes the audience meets their fear, grief, and a fierce, lingering dignity that sets the tone for the whole drama.

Through vivid, compassionate dialogue, the work explores the timeless costs of war, showing how triumph can be as destructive to victors as to the vanquished. Murray’s translation underscores the universal appeal of the characters’ suffering, making their ancient anguish feel startlingly contemporary. Listeners are invited to share in the women’s raw emotions, their desperate hopes, and the stark moral questions that still echo in today’s conflicts.