Helen

A less famous play by Euripides in which he presents an alternative reality in which Helen never really went to Troy.

Written in the shadow of the Peloponnesian War, the play critically exposes the futility of war and the horrors which accompany it. The social commentary is quite advanced and sadly relevant even to the modern day.

This is the old-school translation; expect 19th century style language.

Worth a read.

My favourite 5th century BC Greek play. In this one the always interesting Euripides gives his twist on the legend of Helen of Troy. According to this version, Helen never actually got to Troy but was hiding out in Egypt until all the brouhaha died down. I'm really not a fan of reading plays (and this is my tenth this year--two more to go), but this one is great.

Helen (of Troy) is feeling trapped and alone in Egypt. Faraway from the war and feeling awful about everything, she doesn’t know that things are about to change for her.

*i did not read this exact translation, but this story by Euripides