Foundations of the West
Foundations of the West
Greek and Roman literature encompasses epic, drama, poetry, philosophy, history, and fable from the ancient Mediterranean. Homer’s journeys and conflicts, the tragedies of Sophocles, Aesop’s compact animal stories, and Roman poetry offer distinct ways of considering courage, justice, loyalty, and error. Many Greek works grew within traditions of oral performance, festivals, and civic debate; Roman writers both inherited and reshaped Greek forms. These writings became important sources for later European education and literature. Their differences matter as much as their shared inheritance: a fable’s pointed lesson, a tragedy’s unresolved conflict, and an epic’s extended narrative ask different things of their audiences.
Tragedy in classical Athens
The surviving tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides belong to the dramatic tradition of fifth-century BCE Athens. Written for performance at religious festivals, they draw chiefly on mythic stories, dialogue, and choral song to examine responsibility and the consequences of human action. These three collections preserve different approaches to a shared theatrical form.
3 followers
3 followers
2 followers
2 followers
2 followers
2 followers
3 followers
View All
All featured content under Foundations of the West
