Sophocles (Routledge Revivals)
Sophocles (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Roger Dawe

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 479

ISBN-13: 1317749499

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Sophocles: The Classical Heritage, first published in 1996, contains a diverse collection of reflection, ranging from the 16th century to the 20th, on one of the three great Attic tragedians, the author of perhaps the most famous play of all time. With the entire notion of ‘Western culture’ under duress, the need to establish continuity from antiquity to modernity is as pressing as ever. Each essay, selected by Professor Dawe, explores a theme or concept derived from the tragic vision of the Sophoclean universe which is still of relevance today. An enormous range of topics is investigated, in a variety of modes and styles: the linguistic challenges of translation, the psychology of Sigmund Freud, Enlightenment critiques, the history of performance conventions, dramatic structure and technique, and issues facing the modern director. Overall, Professor Dawe offers a staggering selection of responses, which cumulatively demonstrate the continuing importance and fascination of Sophocles’ legacy.

A New Companion to Greek Tragedy (Routledge Revivals)
A New Companion to Greek Tragedy (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Andrew Brown

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-07

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1317808193

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That the works of the ancient tragedians still have an immediate and profound appeal surely needs no demonstration, yet the modern reader continually stumbles across concepts which are difficult to interpret or relate to – moral pollution, the authority of oracles, classical ideas of geography – as well as the names of unfamiliar legendary and mythological figures. A New Companion to Greek Tragedy provides a useful reference tool for the ‘Greekless’ reader: arranged on a strictly encyclopaedic pattern, with headings for all proper names occurring in the twelve most frequently read tragedies, it contains brief but adequately detailed essays on moral, religious and philosophical terms, as well as mythical genealogies where important. There are in addition entries on Greek theatre, technical terms and on other writers from Aristotle to Freud, whilst the essay by P. E. Easterling traces some connections between the ideas found in the tragedians and earlier Greek thought.

Political Trials in Ancient Greece (Routledge Revivals)
Political Trials in Ancient Greece (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Richard Bauman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-03-26

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1000082938

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During the inspired years of the Athenian empire, through the tragedy of its collapse, to the more prosaic era that followed, most of the great names in Athenian history were involved in the procedures of criminal law. Political Trials in Ancient Greece, first published in 1990, explores the relationships between historical process, constitution, law, political machinations and foreign policy, concentrating on fifth and fourth century Athens and on Macedonia. These trials contribute significant details to our knowledge of such towering figures as Aeschylus, Pericles, Thucydides, Alcibiades, Socrates, Demosthenes and Aristotle, as well as a diverse collection of Macedonian defendants. The jurisdiction of the Areopagus, trials of communities, and the personal jurisdiction of the Macedonian king are also examined. Richard Bauman’s original account broadens our understanding of Greek legal institutions and of the ancient Greek approach to the law, as well as the general ethos of Athenian and Macedonian society.

Law and Society in Classical Athens (Routledge Revivals)
Law and Society in Classical Athens (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Richard Garner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-03-18

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1317800508

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Law and Society in Classical Athens, first published in 1987, traces the development of legal thought and its relation to Athenian values. Previously Athens’ courts have been regarded as chaotic, isolated from the rest of society and even bizarre. The importance of rhetoric and the mischief made by Aristophanes have devalued the legal process in the eyes of modern scholars, whilst the analysis of legal codes and practice has seemed dauntingly complex. Professor Garner aims to situate the Athenian legal system within the general context of abstract thought on justice and of the democratic politics of the fifth century. His work is a valuable source of information on all aspects of Athenian law and its relation to culture.

Sophists, Socratics and Cynics (Routledge Revivals)
Sophists, Socratics and Cynics (Routledge Revivals)

Author: David Rankin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-27

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 131767054X

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The Sophists, the Socratics and the Cynics had one important characteristic in common: they mainly used spoken natural language as their instrument of investigation, and they were more concerned to discover human nature in its various practical manifestations than the facts of the physical world. The Sophists are too often remembered merely as the opponents of Socrates and Plato. Rankin discusses what social needs prompted the development of their theories and provided a market for their teaching. Five prominent Sophists – Protagoras, Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias and Thrasymachus – are looked at individually. The author discusses their origins, aims and arguments, and relates the issues they focussed on to debates apparent in contemporary literature. Sophists, Socratics and Cynics, first published in 1983, also traces the sophistic strand in Greek thought beyond the great barrier of Plato, emphasising continuity with the Cynics, and concludes with a look forward to Epicureans and Stoics.

Aristophanes and Women (Routledge Revivals)
Aristophanes and Women (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Lauren Taaffe

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-02-06

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1317700147

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Aristophanes and Women, first published in 1993, investigates the workings of the great Athenian comedian’s ‘women plays’ in an attempt to discern why they were in fact probably quite funny to their original audiences. It is argued that modern students, scholars, and dramatists need to consider much more closely the conditions of the plays’ ancient productions when evaluating their ostensible themes. Three plays are focused upon: Lysistrata, Thesmophoriazusae, and Ecclesiazusae. All seem to speak quite eloquently to contemporary concerns about women’s rights, the value of women’s work, and the relationships between women and war, literary representation and politics. On the one hand, Professor Taaffe tries to retrieve what an ancient Athenian audience may have l appreciated about these plays and what their central theses may have meant within that culture. On the other hand, Aristophanes is discussed from the perspective of a late twentieth-century, specifically female, reader.

Violence, Civil Strife and Revolution in the Classical City (Routledge Revivals)
Violence, Civil Strife and Revolution in the Classical City (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Andrew Lintott

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-17

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1317697146

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Violent conflict between individuals and groups was as common in the ancient world as it has been in more recent history. Detested in theory, it nevertheless became as frequent as war between sovereign states. The importance of such ‘stasis’ was recognised by political thinkers of the time, especially Thucydides and Aristotle, both of whom tried to analyse its causes. Violence, Civil Strife and Revolution in the Classical City, first published in 1982, gives a conspectus of stasis in the societies of Greek antiquity, and traces the development of civil strife as city-states grew in political, social and economic sophistication. Aristocratic rivalry, tensions between rich and poor, imperialism and constitutional crisis are all discussed, while special consideration is given to the attitudes of the participants and the theoretical explanations offered at the time. In conclusion, civil strife in the ancient world is compared to more recent conflicts, both domestic and international.

Seneca (Routledge Revivals)
Seneca (Routledge Revivals)

Author: Costa C.D.N.

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-03-18

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 1317799909

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This volume, first published in 1974, offers a selection of modern perspectives on Seneca, covering his prose treatises, his letters and his tragedies. For centuries literary and philosophical circles had to take Seneca seriously, even if they could not always respect him, and although his reputation has fluctuated, there has been a revival of interest in his achievements. Accordingly, a large part of Seneca is devoted to this later influence at the deliberate expense of not covering all of Seneca’s less familiar works. The Moral Essays, the tragedies and the letters to Lucilius are examined by the contributors, who also discuss Seneca’s philosophical influence and the Senecan heritage in English and neo-Latin literature. Each essay contains insightful and sometimes controversial material, which is of value to the specialist as well as to students of Latin, English or French literature.

Greek Tragedy and the Emotions (Routledge Revivals)
Greek Tragedy and the Emotions (Routledge Revivals)

Author: W. B. Stanford

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-17

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1317698762

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According to Aristotle the main purpose of tragedy is the manipulation of emotions, and yet there are relatively few accessible studies of the precise dynamics of emotion in the Athenian theatre. In Greek Tragedy and the Emotions, first published in 1993, W.B. Stanford reviews the evidence for ‘emotionalism’ – as the great Attic playwrights presented it, as the actors and choruses expressed it, and as their audiences reacted to it. Sociological aspects of the issue are considered, and the whole range of emotions, not just ‘pity and fear’, is discussed. The aural, visual and stylistic methods of inciting emotion are analysed, and Aeschylus’ Oresteia is examined exclusively in terms of the emotions that it exploits. Finally, Stanford’s conclusions are contrasted with the accepted theories of tragic ‘catharsis’. Greek terms are transliterated and all quotations are in translation, so Greek Tragedy and the Emotions will appeal particularly to those unfamiliar with Classical Greek.

Herodotus and Greek History (Routledge Revivals)
Herodotus and Greek History (Routledge Revivals)

Author: John Hart

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-04-08

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1317678389

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Herodotus has shaped our knowledge of life, religion, war and politics in ancient Greece immeasurably, as well as being one of the most entertaining of all Classical Greek authors: fascinating, perceptive, accessible and not at all pretentious. Herodotus and Greek History, first published in 1982, examines the themes and preoccupations which form the basis for Herodotus’ style of history. The Athenian nobility, important protagonists in the context of what we know of his sources; the human and divine forces, which Herodotus understood as influencing the course of history; and the concepts of character and motivation are all discussed. Herodotus’ treatment of religious belief and oracles, politics and war, and his portrayal of certain prominent individuals are specifically investigated. The final chapter situates Herodotus in his historical context. John Hart’s lucid, well-informed and lively discussion of Herodotus will be value to A-level candidates, school teachers, undergraduates, lecturers and curious non-classicists alike.