Greek Tragedy: Themes and Contexts

Description

The latest volume in the Classical World series, this book offers a much-needed up-to-date introduction to Greek tragedy, and covers the most important thematic topics studied at school or university level. After a brief analysis of the genre and main figures, it focuses on the broader questions of what defines tragedy, what its particular preoccupations are, and what makes these texts so widely studied and performed more than 2,000 years after they were written. As such, the book will be of interest to students taking broad courses on Greek tragedy, while also being suitable for the general reader who wants an overview of the subject. All passages of tragedy discussed are translated by the author and supplementary information includes a chronology of all the surviving tragedies, a glossary, and guidance on further reading. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Preface 1 Tragedy as a Genre Festival, city and play Conventions and formal features What makes a tragedy? 2 Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides 3 Myth Why myth? Suspense and surprise in mythological drama Variability in myth Comparing the Oresteia myth Electra and her family Justice, vengeance and matricide 4 Heroes Aristotle and hamartia The diversity of heroes Heroes: positive and negative Heroes in fifth-century Athens 5 The Gods Divine honour and divine wills Double determination, human action Euripides the ‘radical’ and divine morality 6 Contemporary Thought Nomos and physis Greeks and foreigners Rhetoric and speech 7 Gender and the Family Bad husbands, bad wives Bad fathers, bad sons 8 The Chorus Choruses in Greek life The chorus’ role in tragedy Choral authority and choral identity Choral odes Chronology Glossary of Greek and Technical Terms Used Suggestions for Further Reading Index