Details
Beginning with a definition of morality and examining the implications of analysing the moral performance of fictional characters, Lawrence considers concepts of the self and the problem of autonomy and personal responsibility in the context of divine intervention, which is a crucial feature of the genre. The volume then moves on to the individual plays (Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes and Oresteia; Sophocles' Ajax, Trachiniae, Oedipus Tyrannus, Electra, and Philoctetes; and Euripides' Medea, Hecuba, Hippolytus, Heracles, Electra, and Bacchae), focusing in each case on a crisis or crises faced by a major character and examining the background which led to it. Lawrence then considers the individual character's moral response and relates it to the critical issues formulated in the volume's opening discussions.
Lawrence's volume provides a detailed discussion and analyses of the moral awareness of major characters in Greek tragedy, focusing particularly on the characters' recognition of moral issues and crises, their ability to reflect on them, and their consciousness of doing so.
-Explores in great depth and detail a topic of central importance to the field of Greek tragedy
-Offers clear and jargon-free full-length discussions on important plays, making the book accessible and a key text for both students and experienced scholars
-Systematically addresses a series of morally relevant questions, derived from modern ethical studies, while drawing on ancient philosophy where appropriate
-Explores the theoretical basis for the study of the morality of literary characters in an ancient genre
Lawrence's volume provides a detailed discussion and analyses of the moral awareness of major characters in Greek tragedy, focusing particularly on the characters' recognition of moral issues and crises, their ability to reflect on them, and their consciousness of doing so.
-Explores in great depth and detail a topic of central importance to the field of Greek tragedy
-Offers clear and jargon-free full-length discussions on important plays, making the book accessible and a key text for both students and experienced scholars
-Systematically addresses a series of morally relevant questions, derived from modern ethical studies, while drawing on ancient philosophy where appropriate
-Explores the theoretical basis for the study of the morality of literary characters in an ancient genre