ABSTRACT

Oliver Taplin's seminal study was revolutionary in drawing out the significance of stage action in Greek tragedy at a time when plays were often read purely as texts, rather than understood as performances.
Professor Taplin explores nine plays, including Aeschylus' agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The details of theatrical techniques and stage directions, used by playwrights to highlight key moments, are drawn out and related to the meaning of each play as a whole. With extensive translated quotations, the essential unity of action and speech in Greek tragedy is demonstrated.
Now firmly established as a classic text, Greek Tragedy in Action is even more relevant today, when performances of Greek tragedies and plays inspired by them have had such an extraordinary revival around the world.

chapter 1|6 pages

The visual dimension of tragedy

chapter 2|8 pages

Stage management and stage directions

chapter 3|6 pages

Introduction to nine plays

chapter 4|21 pages

Exits and entrances

chapter 5|14 pages

Actions and gestures

chapter 6|26 pages

Objects and tokens

chapter 7|16 pages

Tableaux, noises and silences

chapter 8|13 pages

Mirror scenes

chapter 9|13 pages

Scenic sequence

chapter 10|8 pages

Emotion and meaning in the theatre

chapter 11|6 pages

Round plays in square theatres