This is an engaging introduction to Greek tragedy,its history,and its reception in thecontemporary world.Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz sets ancient tragedy into its original theatrical,political,and ritual context and applies modern critical approaches to understanding whytragedy,continues to interest modern audiences.

Presenting multiple perspectives and addressing the significant topics in the field,thiscomprehensive book examines tragedy's relationship to Athenian democracy,religion,andmyth.It explores how contemporary approaches to scholarship-including structuralist,psychoanalytic,and feminist theory- have changed the study and reception of Greek tragedy.Providing a thorough examination of ancient performance practices,and including detailedreadings of selected plays,this text explores tragedy's ideology and effects,illuminating thereasons why Greek tragedy continues to be a subject of consequence to the modern world.

List of Figures

Preface

Introduction

Part Ⅰ Tragedy in Its Athenian Context

1 What Was Tragedy?

Definitions of Tragedy

What Did It Do?

Where Did It Come From?

How Were the Plays Performed?

2 Tragedy and the Polls

Democracy

Empire and Hegemony

Performance Setting

Rhetoric

Referentiality

Ideology

Nothing to Do with the City?

3 Tragedy and Greek Religion

Dionysos

Sacred Time and Space

Ritual Practices

Ritual Practice in Tragedy

Greek Gods and Mortals

Tragedy and Myth

Euripides'Bacchai

Part Ⅱ Thematic Approaches

4 War and Empire

Aeschylus'Persians

Aeschylus'Oresteia

Euripides'Iphigeneia at Aulis

5 Family Romance and Revenge in the House of Atreus

Euripides'Elektra

Sophocles'Elektra

6 Victims and Victimizers

Euripides'Trojan Women

Euripides'Hekabe

Euripides'Medea

7 The King and I

Sophocles'Antigone

Sophocles'Oedipus Tyrannos

8 Epilogue: Modern Performances (with Sue Blundell)

References

Index