Aug 03, 2012 greek tragedy by humphrey davy findley kitto, 1954, doubleday edition, in english. The book was first published as a hardback copy by penguin books, but has been republished in several formats since its initial publication. He wrote his doctorate in 1920 at the university of bristol. Greek tragedy was written and performed by men and aimedperhaps not exclusively if women were present in the theaterat a large, public male audience masculine identity and conflicts remain central to the enterprise, but the texts often explore or query these issues through female characters and the culturally more marginal positions that they occupy. The book functions as a unified whole on every level. Kitto was a highly respected authority on classical greek literature. Kitto argues that in spite of dealing with big moral. It has seen more than 30 reprints and has been translated into several languages. Description download greek tragedy by hdf kitto comments.
It is written specifically for the reader who does not know greek and who may be unfamiliar with the context of the athenian drama festival but who nevertheless wants to appreciate the plays in all their complexity. Greek tragic style form, language and interpretation greek tragedy is widely read and performed, but outside the commentary tradition detailed study of the poetic style and language of aeschylus, sophocles and euripides has been relatively neglected. This was a period of athenian political hegemony, economic growth and cultural flourishing formerly known as the golden age of athens. Kitto s analysis is largely concerned with the form and structure of the drama, but there are interesting insights into other elements as well.
Saxonhouse university of michigan he earliest attempts at a theoretical understanding of politics occur in the citystates of ancient greece. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than he or she was at the beginning of the narrative and is inevitable given the circumstances of the plot. Humphrey davy findley kitto, fba 6 february 1897 21 january 1982 was a british classical. Pdf children in greek tragedy gregory sifakis academia.
Middle tragedy is the aristotelian norm, best repre. Kitto, who taught at the university of glasgow and the university of bristol in england, set for himself an ambitious aim. F kitto in his acclaimed study of greek tragedy, available for the first time in routledge classics. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Reading greek tragedy by simon goldhill cambridge core. The greeks, however, continue to influence contemporary man through their drama, philosophy and art, their political cognizance and knowledge of science. Katharsis is a muchdebated term, and we are not sure what it means in this context. History the classical greek polis came of age in the 5th century bce fifthcentury athens is the greek citystate of athens in the time from 480 bc404 bc. Suffering and the tragic in aeschyluss prometheus bound. Old tragedy, midway between tragedy of situation and tragedy of character, is represented by aeschylus, except for the choephoroe and eumenides. Kitto served as a lecturer in greek at the university of glasgow before joing bristol university as a professor of greek from 1944 to 1962. Greek tragedy, renaissance tragedy, european playwrights of the late 19th century, modern american tragedy, modern british tragedy and modern irish tragedy there are accounts of the work of significant playwrights, including sophocles, shakespeare, webster, marlowe, ibsen, beckett, arthur miller, tennessee. Kitto july 611, 2012 kitto is an old classical classicist of the.
Greek tragedy, renaissance tragedy, european playwrights of the late 19th century, modern american tragedy, modern british tragedy and modern irish tragedy there are accounts of the work of significant playwrights, including sophocles, shakespeare, webster. The greeks is a 1951 nonfiction book on classical greece by university of bristol professor and translator h. The first, lyrical tragedy, a tragedy of situation, is represented by aeschylus suppliants. Fa greek tragedy af h d f kitto som paperback bog pa engelsk. Glory of greece summer school for seniors in hobart. A book on greek tragedy may be a work of historical scholarship or of literary criticism. K i t to greek tragedy a literary study london new york first published 1939 by methuen.
This realization is the key moment of nemesis in todays greek tragedy. A vigorous and lively introduction to greek tragedy as it was practiced by its three most famous playwrights, aeschylus, sophocles and euripides. The greeks serves as an introduction to the whole range of life in ancient greece and established kitto as one of the foremost. If youre kitot for an introduction to the ancient greek world and enjoy an casual, often impassioned delivery that never leaves the former unbalanced by kittl academic thoroughness, give it a read. F humphrey davy findley publication date 1951 topics greek drama tragedy, greece publisher harmondsworth. Reviews two things give kitto s classic book its enduring freshness. Reviews of the the greeks up to now regarding the ebook weve got the greeks pdf suggestions users havent but remaining their overview of the overall game, or you cannot read it nevertheless. The authors liveliness of mind and style has enabled him to make a mass of information. Report greek tragedy by hdf kitto please fill this form, we will try to respond as soon as possible. Latinized greek drama in shakespeares writing of hamlet jstor.
An excellent survey of classical greek life, mostly athenian. He became a lecturer in greek at the university of glasgow from 1920 to 1944. He concentrated on studies of greek tragedy, especially translations of the works of sophocles. Two things give kitto s classic book its enduring freshness. Kitto argues that in spite of dealing with big moral and intellectual questions, the greek dramatist is above all an artist and the key to understanding classical greek drama is to try and understand the tragic conception of each play. Kittos analysis is largely concerned with the form and structure of the drama, but there are interesting insights into other elements as well. Hdf kitto pdf the best introduction i have ever read to ancient greece. Kitto 18971982 was a professor of greek at the university of bristol. He was born in stroud, gloucestershire he was educated at the crypt school, gloucester, and st. Agathon who is mentioned platos symposium the same is true for comedy. This book is an advanced critical introduction to greek tragedy. His seminal work, the greeks, is considered the industry standard by scholars worldwide.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Greek tragedy in action a reissue of greek tragedy in action couldnt be more timely. Two things give kittos classic book its enduring freshness. It is also a reality that much of europe is being forced to acknowledge. The greeks were extraordinary not least because they evolved a totally new conception of what human life was for. There are many books introducing the greek world to the modern reader, but this volume was recognized as a classic in the field upon its publication by penguin books. The greek tragedy is a very influential form of theater, and this quizworksheet combo will test your understanding of its history.
How could modern drama compare to that of ancient greek one. Humphrey davy findley kitto, fba 6 february 1897 21 january 1982 was a british classical scholar of cornish ancestry. Easterling, the cambridge companion to greek tragedy cambridge, 1995. Oliver taplins viewpoint has proved to be both prophetic and influential. Hamartia in aristotle and greek tragedy1 cambridge core. In tragedy, the plot typically ends with the death of the tragic heroes. Greek tragedy were smashing mics in karaoke bars youre running late with half your makeup on this method acting might pay our bills but soon enough therell be a different role to fill i love this feeling but i hate this part i wanted this to work so much i drew up our plans on a chart. Greek tragedy by hdf kitto free ebook download as pdf file. Introduction to classical theatre classical theatre history greek plays were performed late march and early april at religious celebrations honoring dionysus according to aristotle, tragedies arose from improvisations the lead of the choral dithyrambs hymns sung in praise of dionysus as such in both historical precedent and content. Overview of greek tragedy evidence of many playwrights producing tragedies during the classical age, not just the three whose work is preserved e. Greek tragedy was written and performed by men and aimedperhaps not exclusively if women were present in the theaterat a large, public male audience.