Hecuba | In the Shadow of Plato’s Republic — Euripides

Athens Epidaurus Festival 2026

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

First performance: June 25, 2026

June 25-26, 2026

In the framework of the centenary celebration of the Academy of Athens (1926-2026).

The last theatrical production hosted at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus before the commencement of its renovation.

Euripides’ Hecuba, written during the first years of the Peloponnesian War, depicts a world in crisis, where justice and moral values have collapsed. Within this landscape of violence and loss, the once-powerful Hecuba, shattered by grief and exposed to historical violence, confronts the dismantling of every stable foundation of her world. Queen, mother, captive, she bears on her body the scars of war and human cruelty while, amid the decay of any concept of justice, she is gradually driven to a borderline state where pain, revenge, morality, and justice simply blur.

Contrasting this devastation, excerpts from Plato’s Republic bring a different perspective: justice as the foundation of a harmonious society and truth as something that transcends appearances. The core axis of the direction is specifically “The Allegory of the Cave”—the iconic Platonic allegory about illusion, knowledge, and the potential for awakening. In this context, Hecuba is illuminated anew, in a world where, besides the innocent dead, no one remains morally unscathed.

Through this intersection of tragedy and philosophy, the performance is transformed into a space for contemplation, where the limits of awareness, human proportion, and responsibility clash.
Euripides’ Hecuba harrowingly highlights human suffering and the transformation of anguish into revenge within the dark landscape following the Trojan War. A timeless tragedy that illuminates the boundaries of justice and morality under conditions of absolute destruction.