Greek tragedy stages stories -- ones already familiar to their original audiences. Using recent narrative theory, this book explores the narrative strategies that sustain the complex relationship between the tragic poet and his sophisticated audience. It discusses how Aeschylus typically shaped these sprawling stories into dramatic form. Then, once established, how these patterns were successively adapted, subverted, capped or ignored by Sophocles and Euripides in the annual attempt to recreate suspense and express fresh meanings relevant to the difficult last decades of the fifth century. Tragedy's intrinsic potent mix of alternating narrative and dramatic elements is found to be fertile ground for bold narrative experimentation and for the creation of a whole range of powerful effects.
The first part of the book discusses the relation of narrative theory to tragedy; its typical use of different time frames which counterpoint dreams and oracles with message narrative; and the manifold use, particularly in Sophocles, of narrative deceits. In the remaining three parts the narrative strategies of each playwright are discussed, first generally, and then using details from selected plays.
The first part of the book discusses the relation of narrative theory to tragedy; its typical use of different time frames which counterpoint dreams and oracles with message narrative; and the manifold use, particularly in Sophocles, of narrative deceits. In the remaining three parts the narrative strategies of each playwright are discussed, first generally, and then using details from selected plays.
