Euripides and the Tragic Tradition

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Contents Preface A Note about References Part I: Toward Interpretation Chapter 1: A History of Euripidean Interpretation I. Euripides Dethroned and Rehabilitated: The First Stage A. Classicism and the Nineteenth-Century View of Euripides B. The First Scholarly Criticism II. The Beginnings of Modern Euripidean Criticism: New Trends and Old Methods A. Structural Studies and the Traditional View of Euripides B. English-Speaking Scholars: Kitto and After C. The Historicist School III. The More Recent Work A. Structural Criticism B. New Perspectives C. Euripides Rehabilitated D. The Last Decade: A Step Forward and a Step Back E. Conclusions Chapter 2: Euripides and His Tradition Chapter 3: Euripides and His Audience: The Tactics of Shock Chapter 4: Formalism in the Style of Euripidean Drama Part II: Four Plays Chapter 6: Hekabe: The Aesthetic of the Aischron I. Structure II. Nature and Nurture III. Rhetoric and Persuasion IV. Polyxene’s Death Scene V. Revenge and Complementarity VI. Some Central Themes Chapter 7: Elektra: The “Low” Style I. Anti-traditional Aspects A. Realism and Comic Tone B. The Elektra of Sophokles C. The Personality of the Euripidean Elektra D. The Role of Elektra’s Husband E. The Tokens II. Elektra and Orestes A. The Meeting B. Moral Ambiguity C. Aigisthos D. Klytaimestra E. The Exodos F. Male and Female Chapter 8: Herakles: Tragedy in Paradox I. Some Critical Problems II. The Design of the First Half A. Archaizing Style in Dialogue and Lyric B. Plot Structure III. Herakles as Modern Hero A. Herakles the Bowman B. Masculine Focus and the Role of Megara C. Domestic Drama IV. Human Strength and Human Weakness A. Herakles’ Dual Parentage B. Theseus as Comforter C. Heroism in Paradox V. The Gods A. The Problem of Divine Agency B. The Fiction Erases Itself Chapter 9: Hippolytos: An Exceptional Play I. Tragic Morality A. The Manipulation of “Dramatic Effect” I. Tragic Morality A. The Manipulation of “Dramatic Effect” B. The Spoudaion and Human Feeling (To Philanthropon) II. The Second Hippolytos A. Revision B. Êthos III. Socratic Ideology A. Phaidra’s Speech B. Hippolytos as Socratic Hero IV. The Spoudaion in Hippolytos A. Aristocratic Norms B. The Role of the Gods: Hippolytos and Other Plays Appendix A: Melodrama Appendix B: Albin Lesky and Alkestis Appendix C: Lyrics in Hekabe Appendix D: Dating, Influence, and Literary Analysis Reference List Index