1 The Living Art of Greek Tragedy Marianne McDonald, Ph.D., MRIA ...

What I shall do is offer a short practical guide that gives suggestions, and general
information, but not prescriptions. I shall begin with some background for the thirty-two Greek
tragedies and the one satyr play which survive. I shall touch on the plot, some of the ideas, and
make some suggestions about performance. The translations are my own. I shall also include
some information about some of the most significant modern versions and performances, besides
a short bibliography. There is no study yet in English that covers the major versions available.
This small book should serve as a stepping-stone for directors, playwrights, actors,
designers and others in the theatre who would like a brief introduction to the world of Greek
tragedy, and some of the works it has inspired. By giving brief plot summaries this facilitates
choice of text. In the sections on the plays, I shall refer to some recent productions, and list even
more in the section called Performance Tradition. I shall select a few for more detailed
descriptions. For instance, in the sections about versions by Seneca (c. 3 BC-65 AD), the
individual plays will be arranged chronologically following the chronology of the modern
versions, and then arranged according to plays, i.e., if Seneca had a Medea (which he did), I
include this as the earliest surviving version after Euripides. The later versions of Medea follow.
Since Seneca had no version of Alcestis, in this section Alcestis comes after Medea, although
Euripides wrote Medea earlier. Then some more versions of Alcestis are arranged together. The
arrangement is both chronological and thematic where possible.
Greek tragedy has something to say to everyone. Greek tragedy raises questions, and
suggests answers, but never insists. What these magnificent plays do is let us look at our deepest
fears and continue to live in spite of them. These fears can come from circumstances that are
external to us: the threat of war; the threat of Anthrax poisoning; the threat of a crippling or fatal
disease; living with poverty, or under an oppressive government. Then there are the internal
reasons for fear: that clock ticking inside of us all that tells us that we shall not live forever. The
fear of death can be crippling, or, if we believe the existentialists, liberating.
Nietzsche used the image of Perseus, the Greek hero who slew the Gorgon Medusa,
fierce with her head of snakes. If a person looked at her directly, he would be turned to stone.
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