| Summary: | Although modern readers continue to believe that in his dramas Euripides was questioning the nature and sometimes even the existence of the gods, and that through his dramas he sought to reveal the flaws in the traditional religious beliefs of his own time, this book argues that instead of seeking to undermine ancient religion, Euripides is describing with a brutal realism what the gods are like, and reminding his mortal audience of the limitations of human understanding. The question of Euripides' attitude towards the gods is not merely of antiquarian interest. It affects the interpretation of his plays. By portraying the gods as unpredictably kind, negligent, vindictive, and cruel, Euripides was not offering his audiences preferable alternatives. Instead the dramas remind his audience not to expect consistent rewards from the gods for their virtues, and not to imagine that the gods will treat mortals with the attention and care that they might receive from fellow human beings. Like Homer in the Iliad, Euripides through his dramas is making a statement about the nature of the world and human life, terrible and dispassionate. The book also explains why modern readers have been too ready to believe ancient stories about Euripides' connections with the radical thinkers of his own day. It demonstrates that how divine action is an integral aspect of all surviving drama, whether or not the gods appear physically ex machina above the stage.
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