The Facts On File Companion To Classical Drama

The great era of classical drama continues to be widely studied today. One of the most extensive works of its kind, The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama examines the history and development of ancient Greek and Roman drama from the late sixth century BCE through the first century CE. In a highly readable, A-to-Z format, approximately 400 entries cover the 80 complete plays that survived from the classical era; the major authors; the background, characters, and themes of the dramas; and the conventions and practices of their respective theaters. Appendixes include a complete list of authors and titles known to have existed. Authoritative enough for scholarly study, this accessible reference is also a perfect addition to high school and college classrooms.

Entries include:

Authors: Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, Menander, Seneca, Sophocles, Terence, and Plautus

Dramas: Agamemnon, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, The Suppliant Women, and more

Characters: divinities such as Apollo, Dionysus, Heracles, Prometheus, and Zeus, and mortals such as Clytemnestra, Achilles, Iphigenia, Orestes, and Oedipus

Settings: Athens, Thebes, Rome, Troy, and more

Genres: comedy, tragicomedy, tragedy, and satyr plays

Historical personages: Pericles, Themistocles, Augustus, Julius Caesar, and more

Concepts, themes, and theatrical terms: chorus, oracle, strophe, deus ex machina, and more.

John E. E. Thorburn, Jr., teaches Latin, Greek, and classical drama at Baylor University.