Analyzing the work of every Roman tragedian whose work survived in substance, Anthony J. Boyle provides the first detailed cultural and theatrical history of Roman tragedy and its place at the centre of Rome's cultural and political life.
The first detailed cultural and theatrical history of a major literary form, this landmark introduction examines Roman tragedy and its place at the centre of Rome's cultural and political life.
Analyzing the work of such names as Ennius, Pacuvius and Accius, as well as Seneca and his post-Neronian successors, Anthony J. Boyle delves into detailed discussion on every Roman tragedian whose work survives in substance today. Roman Tragedy examines:
the history of Roman tragic techniques and conventions
the history of generic form and change
the debt that Rome owes to Greece, and text owes to text
the birth, development and death of Roman tragedy in the context of the cities evolving, institutions, ideologies and political and social practices
tragedy proper and the historical drama (fabula praetexta), which the Romans allied to tragedy.
With parallel English translations of Latin quotations, this seminal work not only provides an invaluable resource for students of theatre, Roman political history and cultural history, but it is also accessible to all interested in the social dynamics of writing, spectacle, ideology and power.
'To sum up, this book is a well-thought-out and original piece of scholarship, which will advance considerably the debate on these tragedies and enhance their understanding. Thorough but succinct, it covers all periods of Roman tragedy but manages to present the political, literary and dramaturgical phases of both tragedy proper and fabulae pretextae. It has a rich bibliography and commentary, unfortunately in the form of endnotes, and every fragment is coupled with B.'s excellent translations. I can warmly recommend the book both to experts who wish to have an up-to-date account of the latest studies in Roman tragedy and to undergraduate and graduate students who can mine this useful volume for relevant paper and even dissertation topics.' - Tsoka Aikaterini, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Jan 2007
