Andromache
Also known as: Ἀνδρομάχη, Euripides' Andromache
In Phthia, the Trojan widow Andromache, now the concubine of Neoptolemus, is persecuted by his wife Hermione and her father Menelaus. Rescued by Peleus, she later learns of Neoptolemus’ murder, while Thetis appears to ordain futures for the house.
Description
Set at Neoptolemus’ house near Thetis’ shrine in Phthia, Euripides’ tragedy centers on Andromache—the former wife of Hector—now enslaved after Troy’s fall and mother to Neoptolemus’ son. Hermione, Neoptolemus’ Spartan wife, driven by jealousy and dynastic anxiety, accuses Andromache of witchcraft and barrenness, with Menelaus arriving to coerce and threaten the child. A supplication scene at Thetis’ altar and a rhetorical agōn contrast Spartan menace with Andromache’s endurance and Peleus’ aged authority. News arrives that Neoptolemus has been murdered at Delphi (at Orestes’ instigation), upending the household and sending Hermione into flight. The goddess Thetis, appearing ex machina, directs proper burial and decrees a future for Andromache and her son among the Molossians, binding Trojan suffering to a new Hellenic lineage.
Historiography
The play survives as part of the medieval manuscript tradition of Euripides, supplemented by papyrus fragments and scholia. Its exact production date is uncertain, with stylistic and political readings placing it broadly in the 420s BCE. Scholars note anti-Spartan coloring and complex characterization of female agency and old-age authority. The ending employs a theophany (Thetis) typical of Euripidean closure, and reception has ranged from critiques of structural looseness to praise for its psychological nuance.
Date Notes
Date is debated; often placed in the later 420s BCE on thematic and political grounds during the Archidamian War.
Major Characters
- Andromache
- Hermione
- Menelaus
- Neoptolemus
- Peleus
- Orestes
- Thetis
Myths
- Andromache’s Enslavement in Phthia
- Plot of Hermione and Menelaus
- Rescue and Exile of Andromache
- Orestes’ Intrigues and Departure
Facts
- Setting: Phthia in Thessaly, at Neoptolemus’ house and Thetis’ shrine.
- Andromache is the widow of Hector and concubine of Neoptolemus, with whom she has a son, Molossus.
- Hermione is Neoptolemus’ lawful wife, daughter of Menelaus and Helen.
- Menelaus’ arrival intensifies the conflict, leveraging Spartan authority.
- Peleus, father of Achilles, champions supplication and rescues Andromache.
- Neoptolemus is killed offstage at Delphi; the news is delivered by a messenger.
- Orestes orchestrates Neoptolemus’ death and elopes with Hermione.
- The play employs a deus ex machina: Thetis appears to resolve the action.
- The ending frames Andromache and her son as ancestors of the Molossian line.
- Dating is uncertain; many scholars favor the later 420s BCE amid anti-Spartan sentiment.