The Political Art of Greek Tragedy

Book excerpt: According to Christian Meier, one of Germany's leading classicists, a Greek tragedy cannot be considered simply a work of art or a reflection of ancient modes of thought. He argues that it is essential to understand tragedy's interaction with the practiceof Greek democracy. In The Political Art of Greek Tragedy he focuses on the works of Aeschylus to examine the close relationship between drama and politics at the beginning of the great age of Greek tragedy. "Christian Meier has produced an outstanding new account of the politics of Athenian tragedy, interpreting political' broadly and illuminating Athenian religious ritual and theatrical experience by a systematic and subtle use of the comparative method."--Paul Cartledge, Clare College, Cambridge.