In the heyday of Greek tragedy, each of the three playwrights who competed for victory in the tragedy competition at the Great Dionysia, the most important Dionysus festival in Athens, not only had to present three tragedies, but also a light-hearted epilogue, which was called a satyr play after the satyrs who always formed the chorus. Euripides' is the only complete surviving example of this dramatic genre. The play deals with Odysseus' encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus, which is familiar to every audience member from the .

Bernd Seidensticker, Freie Universität Berlin.