In the first act of Shakespeare’s Richard II, Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV, accuses the Duke of Norfolk of treason. King Richard fails to persuade them to reconcile and declares they shall fight a…
Years after she was led to Aulis to be sacrificed, Iphigenia lives in exile as a priestess of Artemis, charged with sacrificing strangers who come to her shores. When two Greek prisoners arrive, she…
An old, blind Oedipus comes at last to Colonus, seeking a place to die. Hunted by his past and fought over for the strange power promised by his death, the ruined king must confront his sons, his…
Tantalus, mighty king and son of Zeus, prepares a feast for the gods—and becomes convinced it is a test of his own divinity. As reason gives way to pride, he crosses the final boundary between man and…
In the only surviving tragedy telling of contemporary events, Aeschylus tells of the defeat of the Persian armies at Salamis.
Odysseus awakens in darkness, waiting for a dawn that never comes. Guided by Sisyphus through the shadows of Hades, the great king retraces the path of his life until memory gives way to truth.
A sister defies a king. A ruler defies the gods. Sophocles’ Antigone is one of the defining tragedies of the ancient world, exploring duty, law, pride, and the devastating cost of moral certainty. In…
In honor of the release of The Odyssey, this week we read the only extant satyr play, The Cyclops by Euripides. In Greek Theater, authors wrote four plays for a performance, three tragedies and one…
Betrayed by Jason's marriage to Creon's daughter and threatened with exile, Medea resolves a terrible revenge. She sends poisoned gifts that kill the bride and Creon, then—unable to allow her children…
A proud young prince devoted to Artemis rejects love and scorns the power of Aphrodite. In revenge, the goddess kindles a forbidden passion in his stepmother, Phaedra, setting in motion one of Greek…
