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Greek drama was perfomed at the spring festival of the god Dionysus. Euripides first received the honour of being chosen to compete in the dramatic festival in 455, but did not win his first victory until 441. Euripides was awarded first prize at only four festivals, which compared to Sophocles' 24 victories, seems relatively unsuccessful. However, more important than 'winning gold', later Euripides was to be more popular than Aeschylus or Sophocles, and so a greater proportion of his work has survived. The ancients knew of 92 plays written by Euripides, but only 19 are extinct. A rather austere, unconvivial person, Euripides liked to sit in a cave looking out to sea, which was considered eccentric by his more sociable contemporaries. He took almost no part in Athens' public affairs, but was passionately interested in ideas, mixing with the philosophers of his time. He became an advanced thinker, and his plays reflect his questioning attitude to traditional Greek religion. |
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