Looking at Greek Drama

Origins, Contexts and Afterlives of Ancient Plays and Playwrights

David Stuttard

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781350320871
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Ancient & Classical Drama
• Index: Literature

This is a vital and accessible overview of Greek drama from its origins to its later reception, including chapters on authors and dramas in their social and religious context as well as key aspects such as structure, character, staging and music. With contributions by 13 international scholars, world experts in their field, it provides readers with clear, authoritative, up-to-date considerations of both the theory and practice of Greek drama. While each chapter can stand in isolation, the overall structure takes readers on a natural progression – beginning with sources of evidence and origins, considering the major genres and their authors, examining the traditional Aristotelean components of drama in the context of performance, and ending with later reception. In doing so, it explores Greek drama as at once a religious act, a stage for political propaganda, an opportunity for questioning social issues, and pure entertainment – a stunning melange of poetry, music, dance, and visual spectacle, specific to, yet transcending, its immediate context. Written for students, practitioners and a general readership, it forms part of Bloomsbury's Looking at… series, appealing to the same readership and providing context to existing volumes which focus on individual plays.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Dedication
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• 1 A Brief Introduction: Greek Drama in Context
• Part 1 Sources and Context
• 2 The Evidence for Greek Drama
• 3 Sixth- to Fourth-Century BCE History and Society: A Brief Introduction
• Part 2 Origins and Genres
• 4 On the Origins of Greek Drama
• 5 Tragedy and Tragedians
• 6 Comedy and Comic Poets
• Part 3 Elements of Greek Drama
• 7 Myth in Tragedy
• 8 Making Plays, Moving Audiences: The Structure of Ancient Greek Drama
• 9 Character and Characterization in Ancient Greek Tragedy and Comedy
• 10 Thought: Religion, Politics and Philosophy
• 11 Opsis: Stagecraft and Performance
• 12 Music and Dance in Tragedy, Comedy and Dithyramb
• Part 4 The Reception of Greek Drama
• 13 Romanization of Greek Drama: The Republic
• 14 Performance Reception of the Greek Plays, Then and Now
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright