Sophocles and Alcibiades : Athenian politics in ancient Greek literature / Michael Vickers.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vickers, Michael J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Alcibiades--In literature.

Alcibiades.

Sophocles--Characters--Alcibiades.

Sophocles.

Sophocles--Criticism and interpretation.

Politics in literature.

Greek drama (Tragedy)--History and criticism.

Greek drama (Tragedy).

Greek literature--History and criticism.

Greek literature.

Criticism and interpretation.

Athens (Greece)--In literature.

Athens (Greece).

Physical Description:

x, 205 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, 2008.

Summary:

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 deeply involved in Athenian political life, which was often intensely personal. He argues cogently that classical writers employed hidden meanings and that Sophocles consciously or subconsciously projected 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 authors-Thucydides, Plato, and Euripides-whose work contains a body of allusions to Alcibiades and others.

Contents:

The mythologizing of history

Antigone, Pericles and Alcibiades

Oedipus Tyrannus, Alcibiades, Cleon and Aspasia

Ajax, Alcibiades and Andocides

Philoctetes, Alcibiades, Andocides and Pericles

Alcibiades in exile : Euripides' Cyclops

Oedipus at Colonus, Alcibiades and Critias

Critias and Alcibiades : Euripides' Bacchae

Alcibiades and Melos : Thucydides 5.84-116

Thucydides on tyrannicides : not a "digression"

Alcibiades and Persia (and more Thucydidean "digressions")

Alcibiades and Critias in the Gorgias: Plato's "fine satire."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-192) and indexes.

ISBN:

9780801447327

0801447321

OCLC:

214285920