Monody in Euripides - Character and the Liberation of Form in Late Greek Tragedy

The solo singer takes center stage in Euripides' late tragedies. Solo song - what the Ancient Greeks called monody - is a true dramatic innovation, combining and transcending the traditional poetic forms of Greek tragedy. At the same time, Euripides uses solo song to explore the realm of the interior and the personal in an expanded expressive range. Contributing to the current scholarly debate on music, emotion, and characterization in Greek drama, this book presents a new vision for the role of monody in the musical design of Ion, Iphigenia among the Taurians, Phoenician Women, and Orestes. Drawing on her practical experience in the theater, Catenaccio establishes the central importance of monody in Euripides' art.

List of contents

Introduction: the song at work; 1. Ion: Monody as Ag¿n; 2. Iphigenia among the Taurians: memory and movement; 3. Phoenician women: the lyric voice of a shattered house; 4. Orestes: monody as messenger speech; Conclusion: freedom and form.

About the author

CLAIRE CATENACCIO is a scholar of Ancient Greek literature and its modern reception. As a dramaturge and director, she has worked extensively with contemporary productions of ancient plays. She is a member of the faculty of Classics at Georgetown University.

Product details

• Authors: Claire Catenaccio, Claire (Georgetown University Catenaccio
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.07.2023
• EAN: 9781009300124
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0930012-4
• No. of pages: 230
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; DRAMA / General, Ancient Greece, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Ancient & Classical, Classical history / classical civilisation, Classic and pre-20th century plays, Ancient Greek and Roman literature, Tragic plays