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pobeđenima. Zbog svoje sofističke skepse, on nije mogao da prihvati likove koji su„veći od života" i koje su veoma übedljivo prikazivali Eshila i Sofokle. Euripid se smatra prvim realistom: njegovi likovi su ličili na stvarne Ijude čiji se srećan ili zao udes, iracionalnost i nemoralnost postupaka, ne razrešavaju u pomirenju sa sudbinom kroz etičko saznanje viših vrednosti, nego u besmislenoj patnji na koju bogovi gledaju indiferentno. EURIPIDES was one of the most accomplished men of his time and many chronicles say that he owned a library. Ninety-two tragedies, of which only nineteen survive, alongside a satyr play, are attributed to him. Of the three great tragic dramatists, Euripides was the least appreciated during his lifetime. The reason why Euripides was appreciated less than Aeschylus and Sophocles should be sought, among other things, in the novel character of his work. In Euripides'plays, the action unfolds under the control of impenetrable and often mean acts of gods rather than that of cruel but wellmeaning gods or the free decision of the hero. Euripides did not think mythically any more. Although he was an unexcelled connoisseur of mythology (Jan Kott speaks with sympathy how he"boasted of his knowledge" in The Bacchae), Euripides manifested a rational attitude to religious beliefs, ancient legends and myths which were a mandatory subject of the Greek drama. He boldly portrayed gods as irrational, uncontainable and devoid of the sense of "divine justice". While Aeschylus, the veteran of the Battle of Marathon, perceived the war as an opportunity for heroism, Euripides saw it only as an irrational act producing physical destruction and suffering to the vanquished. His sophistic scepticism prevented him from accepting "larger-than-life" characters so convincingly portrayed