Humans and Gods in Sophocles and Early Greek Thought

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-009-72780-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 228 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 493 g

This book proposes that Sophoclean tragedy is a distinctive form of religious discourse concerned with exploring the relationship between humans and gods. Building on recent scholarship that has begun to reintegrate literature within the study of Greek religion after decades of neglect, Alexandre Johnston positions Sophocles' seven extant plays within a vibrant tradition of early Greek theology, literature and philosophy that cuts across modern disciplinary boundaries. Blending an overarching thematic approach with detailed analysis of key case studies, he argues that tragedies such as Antigone and Electra were at once poetic works and religious artefacts that engaged profoundly with contemporary intellectual culture. Through their narrative structure and performance, these tragedies allow spectators privileged insights into the workings of an obscure, unstable world dominated by inscrutable gods, offering distinctive, sometimes radical visions of the divine and its impact on the existence of mortals.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Johnston, Alexandre

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Humans and Gods in Early Greek Thought; 2. Sophocles the Ironist: Theology and Dramatic Structure in Sophoclean Tragedy; 3. Trachiniae: Alternation, Suffering and the Limits of Wisdom; 4. Antigone: Humans, Gods and the Failure of Reason; 5. Electra: Human Control, Reversal and the Limits of Divine Communication; Conclusion. Bibliography. General Index. Index Locorum.

Über Autor(innen)

Johnston, Alexandre
Alexandre Johnston is Departmental Lecturer in Ancient Greek Literature at the University of Oxford.