摘要
The aim of this essay is to provide an analysis of the Euripides＇ ＂Phoenician Women＂ in terms of mourning. The author intends to set a parallel between the ancient tragedy and its modern adaptation staged by one of the most prominent Polish directors Krzysztof Warlikowski. In the essay, the author will discuss how suffering is depicted in the ancient drama and what changes of mourning motif are introduced into its modern performance. The author will examine the literary as well as the （modern） theatrical topos of grief by analyzing the poetics of tragedy （dramatic structure, metaphors of death, dramatis personae, funeral vocabularium, function of laments） and the poetics of performance （stage design, costumes and props, funerary symbolism, acting, directing solutions）. The purpose of the paper is to argue against the insignificance of Euripides＇ drama and the marginalization of Warlikowski＇s ＂Phoenician Women.＂ Finally, the author will attempt to indicate the mourning motif as one of the essential and attractive for the ancient tragic plot and the modern performance as well
