Overview

Literary historians have long held the view that the plays of the Greek dramatist, Sophocles deal purely with archetypes of the heroic past and that any resemblance to contemporary events or individuals is purely coincidental. In this book, Michael Vickers challenges this view and argues that Sophocles makes regular and extensive allusion to Athenian politics in his plays, especially to Alcibiades, one of the most controversial Athenian politicians of his day.Vickers shows that Sophocles was no closeted intellectual but a man deeply involved in politics and he reminds us that Athenian politics was intensely personal. He argues cogently that classical writers employed hidden meanings and that consciously or sub-consciously, Sophocles was projecting onto his plays hints of contemporary events or incidents, mostly of a political nature, hoping that his audience's passion for politics would enhance the popularity of his plays. Vickers strengthens his case about Sophocles by discussing other authors - Thucydides, Plato and Euripides - in whom he also demonstrates a body of allusions to Alcibiades and others.

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9781844651238

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Reviews

Vickers reaches some truly original conclusions and his readings of the plays and Thucydides will be of value to anyone studying tragedy and its political context. - Greece and Rome Vickers has written an ingenious, original and scholarly book on an important subject. It is an argument that students of the period need to take into account. Vickers is doing truly seminal work. - Barry Strauss, Cornell University This book contains a very important finding, which is likely to inject an entirely new, hitherto by and large unsuspected, element into the study of Greek drama. Thoroughly original, this book constitutes an important landmark in the study of Greek tragedy. - Gabriel Herman, Hebrew University, Jerusalem A landmark study, opening a hitherto unimagined vista into Greek drama. - Andreas Markantonatos, University of Peloponnese

""Vickers reaches some truly original conclusions and his readings of the plays and Thucydides will be of value to anyone studying tragedy and its political context."" - Greece and Rome ""Vickers has written an ingenious, original and scholarly book on an important subject. It is an argument that students of the period need to take into account. Vickers is doing truly seminal work."" - Barry Strauss, Cornell University ""This book contains a very important finding, which is likely to inject an entirely new, hitherto by and large unsuspected, element into the study of Greek drama. Thoroughly original, this book constitutes an important landmark in the study of Greek tragedy."" - Gabriel Herman, Hebrew University, Jerusalem ""A landmark study, opening a hitherto unimagined vista into Greek drama."" - Andreas Markantonatos, University of Peloponnese

"""Vickers reaches some truly original conclusions and his readings of the plays and Thucydides will be of value to anyone studying tragedy and its political context."" - Greece and Rome ""Vickers has written an ingenious, original and scholarly book on an important subject. It is an argument that students of the period need to take into account. Vickers is doing truly seminal work."" - Barry Strauss, Cornell University ""This book contains a very important finding, which is likely to inject an entirely new, hitherto by and large unsuspected, element into the study of Greek drama. Thoroughly original, this book constitutes an important landmark in the study of Greek tragedy."" - Gabriel Herman, Hebrew University, Jerusalem ""A landmark study, opening a hitherto unimagined vista into Greek drama."" - Andreas Markantonatos, University of Peloponnese"

Vickers has written an ingenious, original and scholarly book on an important subject. It is an argument that students of the period need to take into account. Vickers is doing truly seminal work. - Barry Strauss, Cornell University This book contains a very important finding, which is likely to inject an entirely new, hitherto by and large unsuspected, element into the study of Greek drama. Thoroughly original, this book will certainly constitute an important landmark in the study of Greek tragedy - Gabriel Herman, Hebrew University, Jerusalem

Author Information

Professor Michael Vickers is Emeritus Fellow, formerly Senior Research Fellow in Classical Studies, Professor of Archaeology, Dean of Degrees, Jesus College.

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