Quote by Euripides: “Whom the gods destroy they first make mad.”

This quote suggests that when powerful forces, like gods or fate, are set to bring about someone's downfall, they often begin by causing that person to lose their sanity or judgment. It highlights how destructive behavior can be a precursor to inevitable ruin, suggesting a pattern where irrationality leads to destruction.

Athens was at its cultural zenith, though the Peloponnesian War was beginning, bringing social and political turmoil. Greek tragedy often explored themes of fate, divine intervention, and human suffering, reflecting the anxieties of the time.

Athenian tragedian who lived approximately 480–406 BCE, the most performed of the three great Greek playwrights in antiquity. His plays — including Medea, The Bacchae, and The Trojan Women — portrayed human psychology with unusual realism and often challenged Athenian social conventions. He was controversial in his own time but deeply influential after his death.