Greek Tragedy in Action

by Oliver Taplin

Oliver Taplin's seminal study was revolutionary in drawing out the significance of stage action in Greek tragedy at a time when plays were often read purely as texts, rather than understood as performances.Professor Taplin explores nine plays, including Aeschylus' agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The details of theatrical techniques and stage directions, used by playwrights to highlight key moments, are drawn out and related to the meaning of each play as a whole. With extensive translated quotations, the essential unity of action and speech in Greek tragedy is demonstrated.Now firmly established as a classic text, Greek Tragedy in Action is even more relevant today, when performances of Greek tragedies and plays inspired by them have had such an extraordinary revival around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tragedy, Drama, Criticism, Classics

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing guide to the world of Greek Tragedy. Incredibly informative and decently thorough.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on Greek Play stage interpretation. Every director should read this so they not only stop doing their silly interpretations of the Three but also that of all the other greats too. No interpretation of a great will be better than how that great playwright wanted it.

This book should be compulsory for all film students too.

Excellent read!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

received in a bundle from ancient antics on etsy!
read for *uni* as a beginner text for context for antigone.
well written, but my edition is mildly outdated (we now think that there are 120 sophoclean plays, not 80), and the last two chapters bored me. really interesting and riveting stuff on how we shouldn’t think of greek tragedies as simply texts and should always keep their physicality in mind. brilliant analysis on the oresteia.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greek Tragedy in Action, about the role of physical movement and interaction in the presentation and understand of ancient Greek tragic drama, is the best book I know on the subject. Also, the only book I know on the subject.