Michael Tippett articulates and expresses his concern for the human condition and the discovery of self in his five operas, the first three of which form the subject of this study. The text first deals with the range of verbal and dramatic symbolism of three operas ("The Midsummer Marriage", "King Priam", and "The Knot Garden"), in chapters which do not require from the reader a technical knowledge of music. The other chapters, with their musical analyses, will be of interest to musical scholars and students.
