Greek Drama: Tragedy and Comedy

by Peter Meineck

This not actually a book, but rather a recorded series of 14 lectures on Greek Drama. Meineck delves into major themes of and the social and political context of several of the most notable Greek tragedies and comedies. Primary attention is given to Aeschylus' Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Furies), Sophocles' Oedipus plays, Euripides' The Bacchae, and Aristophanes' Clouds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, History, Audiobook, Classics

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Peter Meineck (b. 1967) is Professor of Classics in the Modern World at New York University. He is also the founder and humanities program director of Aquila Theatre and has held appointments at Princeton University and University of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful course from a professor who has translated and also staged ancient Greek dramas. His passion for his subject is infectious, and the course is enhanced by the fact that not only does he talk about the plays themselves and the lives of the authors, but also goes into detail about how the form developed, how the plays were staged, and the historical context in which they were originally performed. His style also hits (for me, at least) the perfect balance between colloquial and "professorial" delivery, and the British accent is a bonus! Highly recommended.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great exposition of classic plays--they come alive with Meineck's enthusiastic analysis. The Greeks showed up at dawn for the first live play of several the same day; they were only staged once--one time total ever. The very few actors all wore masks --no props to speak of.

[John Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually went with the unabridged audiobook rather than a written text for this one.

More years ago than I care to remember, I can recall learning about ancient Greek plays in school and being completely underwhelmed. For all the talk about how much they influenced the development of Western culture, they were far too alien for my tastes - especially the moaning/wailing chorus which always struck me as being ridiculous and absurd. Some things just don't translate very well from one culture to another. Unfortunately though I missed out on learning from many of the Classics because of this.

Until now.

I came across this lecture by NYU Professor Peter Meineck which is part of "The Modern Scholar" series. I have to say that I am very impressed with Meineck's narration as he made the Greek plays he spoke about "come alive" to me in a way I've never experienced before. I actually wanted to read a few afterwards to see what inspired his obvious passion for them. All in all the time spent listening to this lecture I believe was educational and well worth it. Even if you never cared much for most of the ancient Greek plays, as I did, I highly recommend getting this and giving it a try. You'll be glad that you did!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read; to understand current drama you must understand the past. Who knew that the Greek plays were done in place of taxes! Understand the mask and its role in the drama. All good stuff and more funny how after you read a work like this you begin to recognize current modern day themes that have roots in the past!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this course to be very interesting and informative. It wasn’t just a bunch of dry lectures like I have encountered on previous audiobooks. I knew very little about Greek mythology before this, so it was very helpful for an introduction. I am going to Greece in a few months and listening to this course will , no doubt, enhance my visit.

[Billy Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Meineck is a translater and dramatic director of Greek Drama. He gave more insight into the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripedes and Aristophanes than I have heard from any other source. The lectures were lively and his enthusiasm for the subject was infectious.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible audio. Decent lecture course, with the prof reading from his own translations but in one memorable segment comparing translations of the opening lines of “Agamemnon.”