Numerous books have been written about Greek tragedy, but almost all of
them are concerned with the 32 plays that still survive. This book, by
contrast, concentrates on the plays that no longer exist. Hundreds of
tragedies were performed in Athens and further afield during the
classical period, and even though nearly all are lost, a certain amount
is known about them through fragments and other types of evidence.
Matthew Wright offers an authoritative two-volume critical introduction
and guide to the lost tragedies. This first volume examines the remains
of works by playwrights such as Phrynichus, Agathon, Neophron, Critias,
Astydamas, Chaeremon, and many others who have been forgotten or
neglected. (Volume 2 explores the lost works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides.)
What types of evidence exist for lost tragedies, and how might we
approach this evidence? How did these plays become lost or incompletely
preserved? How can we explain why all tragedians except Aeschylus,
Sophocles and Euripides became neglected or relegated to the status of
'minor' poets? What changes and continuities can be detected in tragedy
after the fifth century BC? Can the study of lost works and neglected
authors change our views of Greek tragedy as a genre? This book answers
such questions through a detailed study of the fragments in their
historical and literary context. Including English versions of
previously untranslated fragments as well as in-depth discussion of
their significance, The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy makes these works
accessible for the first time.
