San Antonio College Library

Bearer of an almost unspeakable, immutable fate, Oedipus yet feels himself a man chosen--that is, favored--by the gods. Now an old man, blind and outcast, Oedipus wanders through Greece guided by his daughter Antigone until he comes to Colonus, where he knows he will die. This second play of the Oedipus saga finds Oedipus railing against the indignities of old age, possibly reflecting the authors own sentiments, as Sophocles was nearly 90 at the time...

"Edith Hall offers an introduction to Greek tragedy which argues that the essential feature of the genre is that it depicts terrible human suffering and death, but in a way that invites philosophical enquiry into their causes and effects. This enquiry was played out in the bright sunlight of open-air theatre, which became a key marker of the boundary between living and dead. The first half of the book is divided into four chapters which address the...

"This is a concise and well-informed introduction to the study of Greek tragedy. Originally published in a German edition in 1986, it is now made available for the first time in English." "Bernhard Zimmermann begins by discussing how the tragic canon was formed and by tracing the early history of the tragic act. In lively and thorough summaries of the major works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, he examines such topics as techniques of characterization,...

"When Aristotle said that tragedy is an imitation of action, he meant that apart from other purposes and interests tragedy always acts out a story. With this definition in mind, the author examines the most important story patterns found in Greek tragedy. He asks: What are the most important story patterns found in Greek drama? What stories were available for the use of poets like Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides? What did tradition require, permit...

"Greek Tragedies as Plays for Performance is a unique introduction to the genre that explores these works as dramatic artefacts intended for performance--instead of as ancient literature solely to be read and studied. Written by a scholar who combines his academic understanding of Greek tragedy with his singular theatrical experience of producing these ancient dramas for the modern stage, this text pays special attention to construction, design, staging,...

"Costume in Greek Tragedy is the first book-length survey of tragic costume to be published in almost fifty years. The core of the book focuses on tragic costume in its original performance context of fifth-century Athens, but the implications of subsequent uses in Roman and modern performances are also discussed. Most importantly, the reader is invited to think about how tragic costume worked as a language in ancient performance and was manipulated...