Ancient Tragedy

The war at Troy did not end when the city fell. For the Greeks who sailed home, and the women they carried off as slaves, the worst was still to come — and it is the tragedians, not Homer, who tell that story. Twenty-five centuries ago, in the open-air theater on the slope of the Athenian Acropolis, three poets created an art form that has never been surpassed. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides took the old stories of gods and heroes — the house of Atreus, the fall of Troy, the curse of Oedipus, the fury of Medea — and turned them into something the world had never seen: tragedy. ...

This collection presents the works of the three fathers of ancient Greek tragedies: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The reader of this collection will be able to comprehend how the plots and conflicts populating classical tragedy developed. The principle theme of Aeschylus' tragedies is the idea of fate being omnipotent and the futility in struggling against it. The tragedies of Sophocles reflect the era of the Greeks' victorious war against the Persians, which opened up commercial prosperity through trade.

Blood, gore, thrills, chills, and romance abound in these plays by three of the great Greek authors. Included are "Medea" by Euripides; "Antigone" by Sophocles; and "Agamemnon" by Aeschylus.

Tananarive Due, author of The Living Blood won the American Book Award and is praised as Stephen King's equal by Publishers Weekly. In The Good House, Due sets a story of ancient powers and modern retribution in a small Pacific Northwest town. When a young woman returns to her grandmother's empty mansion, she is pitted against demonic forces that have poisoned her family for generations.

This compassionate, personal, and illuminating work of nonfiction draws on the author's celebrated work as a director of socially conscious theater to connect listeners with the power of an ancient artistic tradition. For years Bryan Doerries has been producing ancient tragedies for current and returned servicemen and women, addicts, tornado and hurricane victims, and a wide range of other at-risk people in society.

In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones. “A beautifully rendered...

This annotated edition includes: • A 16,000-word critical study of Aeschylus and the birth of tragedy • The complete Oresteia — the only surviving Greek trilogy • All seven surviving plays, including Prometheus Bound • A life of Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE), the soldier of Marathon • The Plumptre verse translation, public domain worldwide Before Aeschylus, there was no drama. One actor faced a chorus, and nothing could happen. He added a second — and with two figures who could disagree, tragedy, and all theatre after it, was born. Aeschylus is the oldest of the great ...

From the moderator of The New York Times philosophy blog "The Stone," a book that argues that if we want to understand ourselves we have to go back to theater, to the stage of our lives Tragedy presents a world of conflict and troubling emotion, a world where private and public lives collide...

This annotated edition includes: • A 16,000-word critical study of Aeschylus and the birth of tragedy • The complete Oresteia — the only surviving Greek trilogy • All seven surviving plays, including Prometheus Bound • A life of Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE), the soldier of Marathon • The Plumptre verse translation, public domain worldwide Before Aeschylus, there was no drama. One actor faced a chorus, and nothing could happen. He added a second — and with two figures who could disagree, tragedy, and the whole of theatre after it, was born. Aeschylus is the oldest of the great ...

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No Treaties Between Lions and Men: How Achilles Ceased to be Human is a visceral and unflinching deep dive into the psychological deconstruction of Western literature’s most formidable warrior. Moving beyond the sanitized "superhero" tropes of modern cinema, this book explores the ancient Greek mythology analysis of a man who was systematically stripped of his humanity to become a living weapon. From the traumatic "purge of mortality" in the palace hearth to a predatory diet of lion marrow and boar intestines, the narrative tracks how Achilles was engineered for lethality. This work ...

This annotated edition includes: • A 16,000-word critical study of Sophocles and tragedy • All seven surviving plays — everything that came down to us • The complete Theban cycle: Oedipus the King, Colonus, Antigone • A life of Sophocles (c. 497–406 BCE) • The Campbell verse translation, public domain worldwide A king hunts the murderer whose crime has plagued his city, swearing to bring him to justice — and discovers, scene by scene, that the man he is hunting is himself. Oedipus the King is the play on which Aristotle built the theory of tragedy, the play Freud reached for...

A year inside Ivy League Football, unveiling the heart and soul of college football’s oldest teams as they compete amidst a rapidly changing collegiate sports world—from an award-winning, bestselling author. "A reminder that Ivy football is the American Beauty Rose of the fall sport...

The ultimate historical adventure novel: the life of Alexander the Great in a single, epic volume. To many he was a god. To others he was a monster. The truth is even more extraordinary. As a boy, Alexander dreamed of matching the heroic feats of Achilles. At eighteen he led the Macedonian...

From renowned classicist Edith Hall, ARISTOTLE'S WAY is an examination of one of history's greatest philosophers, showing us how to lead happy, fulfilled, and meaningful lives Aristotle was the first philosopher to inquire into subjective happiness, and he understood its essence better and more...

In Briar Hollow, love isn’t just in the air—it’s on the menu. Evan Hale thought a Valentine’s weekend at the Grand Lodge would be the perfect setting to propose to Sophie . He expected rustic charm, firelight, and a memory to last a lifetime. He didn't expect the heavy iron bands on the doors, the lines of salt on the thresholds, or the local "customs" that feel more like a siege. When a historic blizzard seals the mountain pass, the town’s festive crimson lights take on a more sinister glow . Evan and Sophie soon realize the "Most Romantic Town in America" is a carefully ...

Sophocles wrote about Oedipus twice, and the second time he changed his verdict. Oedipus the King, staged around 429 BC when Sophocles was in his sixties and at the height of an already permanent reputation, is the severest judgment tragedy has ever handed down: a man who killed his father and married his mother in total ignorance is still, without appeal, the pollution the city must expel. Oedipus at Colonus, written near the end of Sophocles's long life and staged after his death by his own grandson, argues the opposite case with total conviction — that the same man is innocent, that ...

The Furies is a psychologically complex, dark and twisting novel about loss, obsession and the deep tragedies that can connect us to each other even as they blind us to our fate, from the bestselling author of A Thousand Ships After losing her fiancé in a shocking tragedy, Alex Morris moves...

In Verona, Italy, two young people in love defy the demands of their families and pursue their love for one another above societal expectations. Their decisions and pursuit of love send ripples throughout their family and friend circles, causing controversy and consequences. For centuries, the tale of the young star-crossed lovers has been a mainstay of both the literary canon and popular culture. This is one of William Shakespeare’s most known and beloved works with timeless themes and prose.

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Nicholas Khan, best known for their role in Transformers. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Malcolm Heath, read by Roy McMillan. One of the most powerful, perceptive and influential works of criticism in Western...