Understanding Greek Tragic Theatre
Rush Rehm
Routledge
<p><em>Understanding Greek Tragic Theatre</em>, a revised edition of <i>Greek Tragic Theatre</i> (1992), is intended for those interested in how Greek tragedy works. By analysing the way the plays were performed in fifth-century Athens, Rush Rehm encourages classicists, actors, and directors to approach Greek tragedy by considering its original context. </p> <p>Emphasizing the political nature of tragedy as a theatre of, by, and for the <i>polis, </i>Rehm characterizes Athens as a <i>performance culture, </i>one in which the theatre stood alongside other public forums as a place to confront matters of import and moment. In treating the various social, religious and practical aspects of tragic production, he shows how these elements promoted a vision of the theatre as integral to the life of the city – a theatre whose focus was on the audience.</p> <p>The second half of the book examines four exemplary plays, Aeschylus’ <i>Oresteia </i>trilogy, Sophocles’ <i>Oedipus Tyrannus, </i>and Euripides’ <i>Suppliant Women </i>and <i>Ion</i>. Without ignoring the scholarly tradition, Rehm focuses on how each tragedy unfolds in performance, generating different relationships between the characters (and chorus) on stage and the audience in the theatre.</p>