The three plays in this collection stand out from other Greek tragedies as they are not tragedies in the traditional sense.

Named as tragedies and presented at the Grand Dionysus festival in Athens, where each playwright staged a group of three tragedies followed by one satyr, they do have serious themes.

However, they all have happy endings. In Alkestis and Ion especially, although the characters suffer, we know from the prologues by Apollo and Hermes respectively that the endings will be happy, lightening the mood.

A common theme in all three plays is that mortals are at the mercy of the gods' plans.

In Alkestis, Apollo decides Alkestis will die for Admetus but Herakles will rescue her.

In Helen, Aphrodite gives Helen to Paris and Hera frustrates these plans by replacing Helen with a cloud.

In Ion, Apollo rapes Kreousa and then plots to have his child raised in his temple and eventually given to Kreousa and her husband Xouthos.

The endings of all three plays acknowledge this. As the ending of Helen goes: "What mortals dream, the gods frustrate; That's what happened here, today."

Alkestis is an interesting play. Apollo allows Admetus to find a substitute to die for him. Admetus' parents decline, but his wife, Alkestis, accepts.

Herakles arrives seeking shelter, and Admetus hides his grief. At the funeral, Admetus and his father Pheres quarrel.

Herakles later finds out about Alkestis' death, goes to the underworld, and returns with her veiled. He persuades Admetus to shelter the woman, who turns out to be Alkestis.

The portrayal of Admetus is complex. He grieves for his wife but also brought on her death. The chorus reflects this complexity.

Helen is also an entertaining play. In other plays, Helen is vain, but here she is a victim.

Hera transforms a cloud into her image, and the Greeks fight the Trojans for ten years over this image.

The real Helen is in Egypt, and after the Trojan War, she reunites with Menelaos. They escape from Theoklymenos with the help of Theonoe.

Unlike many of Euripides' tragedies, this play has a happy ending and is full of coincidences. True romantic love is celebrated, and the chorus provides entertaining musical interludes.

Ion is another play with a feel-good ending. Apollo rapes Kreousa, and the child is raised in Apollo's temple.

Years later, Kreousa and Xouthos go to the temple to seek help. Apollo gives the child to Xouthos as his heir.

Kreousa, thinking Ion is Xouthos' illegitimate child, tries to poison him. But Ion is saved by an omen.

In the end, Athena confirms that they are mother and son, and Ion is the heir to Athens. The play is full of misunderstandings and coincidences, and its musicality is a highlight.