| Description |
x, 102 pages ; 21 cm. |
| Series |
Landmarks of world literature |
|
Landmarks of world literature.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 100-102). |
| Contents |
Drama and the city of Athens. The context of the polis -- The context of the democracy -- The context of the festival -- The context of the theatre -- The Oresteia. Plot and plotting -- Revenge : order and transgression -- Homer and Aeschylus : rewriting the past for the present -- Language and control : the violence of persuasion -- Prophecy, fear and the influence of the past -- The imagery of order -- The divine frame -- The intensity of lyric prophecy -- Violent exchange : dramatic dialogue -- Political rhetoric -- The influence of the Oresteia -- From Sophocles to the women's movement. |
| Summary |
This is the first general introduction in English to Aeschylus's Oresteia, the most important and most influential of all Greek dramas. It discusses the Greek drama festival and the social and political background of Greek tragedy, and offers a reading of this central trilogy. The author focuses on the play's themes of justice, sexual politics, violence, and the position of man within culture, and explores how Aeschylus constructs a myth for the city in which he lived. A final chapter considers the influence of the Oresteia on later theater, and there is a guide to further reading. |
| Subject |
Aeschylus. Oresteia.
|
|
Orestes (Greek mythology) in literature.
|
|
Tragedy.
|
| Indexed Term |
Greek drama |
| ISBN |
052140293X |
|
9780521402934 |
|
0521408539 paperback |
|
9780521408530 paperback |
|
