Aeschylus, Character, and the Yoke of Necessity

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

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Beskrivning

Aeschylus, Character, and the Yoke of Necessity considers the works of Aeschylus in the context of the playwright’s handling of dramatic character and the conflict between freedom and compulsion. Aeschylus was an Athenian citizen during the first generation of that polis’s democratic system. As such, he and his contemporaries were encountering a kind of free agency unknown before in history. Aeschylus presents the archetype of the “tragedy of character” that will resonate throughout world literature. It is a fascinating and essential component to the conception of his drama that his protagonists each of the six plays find ways of escaping freedom in exchange for a self-imposed spiritual bondage. They “slip [their] necks into the yoke of necessity,” to borrow a pivotal line from the Agamemnon. Caught between their individual motives and the unavoidable necessity of their situation, each protagonist handles this conflict in a way that defines the specificity of their character and results in the development of the plot. This book also explores the frequently dominant position of the Aeschylean chorus.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2025-11-13
Mått:158 x 232 x 20 mm
Vikt:460 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:224
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN:9781666939088

Utforska kategorier

Dramatik inom Skönlitteratur
Filosofiska discipliner inom Filosofi och religion
Litteraturvetenskap inom Skönlitteratur

Mer om författaren

Mark Ringer is professor of theater at Marymount Manhattan College, USA.

Recensioner i media

This masterly study by Mark Ringer demonstrates that Aeschylus is a subtle and audacious portrayer of the human subject. By analysing his six unquestionably authentic plays in chronological order, Ringer exposes the poet’s growing mastery of characterisation, both in his individual protagonists and in the collective chorus. The chorus emerges as a living ensemble rather than a mere literary convention. Tragic compulsions, exemplified by Agamemnon’s self-imposed ‘yoke of necessity’, are laid bare. Far from shying away from character analysis, Ringer’s judicious character criticism illuminates how psychological transformation and moral conflict fuel drama’s most electrifying moments. His incisive reading culminates in the Oresteia, demonstrating how Aeschylus crafts emotionally resonant theatre. I find Ringer’s book both compelling and indispensable, an essential reading for scholars and students across the globe.

Innehållsförteckning

PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1: Persians (472 BC)Chapter 2: Seven against Thebes (467 BC)Chapter 3: Suppliants (ca. 463 BC)Chapter 4: The Oresteia—Agamemnon (458 BC)Chapter 5: Libation BearersChapter 6: EumenidesPostscriptBibliographyAppendix A: Further ReadingAbout the Author