If die we must, we will die a noble death.

Cyclops is the only satyr play that has survived till our times, so I was intrigued to read it. It's a mix of tragedy and comedy but I would say more the latter than the former. The story is basically the same as Homer's Odyssey, with some minor alterations. The main is that there is a bunch of satyrs and their leader Silenus, participating in the play.

Overall I can't say I was impressed much. There were, of course, some interesting parts, the dialogue at times is funny and approximates comedy, but the originality of the play is lacking, not so many elements are different from Homer's epic version of the story.

Gay!Polyphemus/Silenus is surely an interesting take @ Eurip.... this reads as very bad Odyssey fan fiction but also entertaining

Euripides' Cyclops is the only known complete satyr play, a genre of ancient Greek theater that acted as a sort of encore chaser to tragedy performances. Cyclops adds a chorus of randy satyrs and Silenus, their maudlin patriarch, to a tragicomedic retelling of Odysseus' encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus. Farts, some light blasphemy, penises a-plenty, and drunken hijinks color Odysseus' arrival on Sicily, his interactions with Polyphemus' craven yes-man Silenus, and the familiar guile with which he engages and dispatches the one-eyed, giant, probably-not-purple people-eating monstrosity.

The one word I'd use to describe the play is "workmanlike." It does a perfectly reasonable job recasting the famous cyclops encounter with wit and zazz. Unlike some other ancient Greek plays it doesn't barrage the reader with endless allusions or metaphors, nor does it feature much in the way of monologue outside Silenus setting the scene in the opening lines and the satyr chorus lamenting the gruesome fate of some of Odysseus' men. Refreshingly, almost all scenes feature characters interacting with someone else.

Those interactions are where the prose shines. Odysseus is the star of the show and has bar none the best lines, including the one after Polyphemus portents the gruesome fate in store for the intruders. Odysseus implores in formal, legalistic language the importance of sacred hospitality and honoring the gods before transforming his plea's tone entirely by begging that he and his men "not have their bodies perforated with spits that are usually used to roast bulls with, and they definitely should not be made food for your jaws and guts."

Yes, there are a couple of rape jokes made at Helen of Troy's expense early on, a tipsy Silenus waxes nostalgic for copping feels and plowing fields in his virile youth, and once Polyphemus gets well into his cups he literally drags Silenus into his cave to have his way with the satyr off-stage. I'm sure there are discussions to be had about cultural relativity, ancient Greek mores, or satire/commentary on Euripides' part. I'm not in a position to make them. End of the day, there's no way to sugarcoat or minimize this content's presence; if it ends up being a dealbreaker for some, then that's the way things are.

Overall, this is a fun romp through an alternate Odyssey Book IX exaggerated to the point of farce. Its brevity is a boon and its levity undeniable, though I am left curious and a bit dejected that there are no other complete examples of this theatrical genre.