A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy
Except for the pseudo-Euripidean Rhesus, fourth-century tragedy has almost entirely been lost to the ravages of time, known only through the quotation of a few isolated lines by later writers or preservation on some sand-worn scraps of papyrus. The poor survival of fourth-century tragedy has inevita...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55426/ |
| _version_ | 1848799162885210112 |
|---|---|
| author | Sims, Thomas |
| author_facet | Sims, Thomas |
| author_sort | Sims, Thomas |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Except for the pseudo-Euripidean Rhesus, fourth-century tragedy has almost entirely been lost to the ravages of time, known only through the quotation of a few isolated lines by later writers or preservation on some sand-worn scraps of papyrus. The poor survival of fourth-century tragedy has inevitably led to suggestions of low quality. Recent scholarship, however, has begun to revise these conclusions, recognising a remarkable inventiveness prevalent in the surviving fragments.
This thesis aims to continue the rehabilitation of fourth-century tragedy and takes the form of a commentary on the fragments of Astydamas II, Carcinus II, Chaeremon, and Theodectas, the ‘leading lights’ of this period whose verses comprise over half of what remains. In the introduction, I focus on fourth-century tragedy in general and all its surviving fragments, even those not treated in the commentary. I begin by exploring the internationalisation of this genre and its spread to the Greek-speaking West and East. I then consider the prevalent themes and stylistic features of the fragments and examine fourth-century reaction to fourth-century tragedy, particularly in comedy, oratory, and philosophy. I also discuss fourth-century satyr drama and some of its best surviving examples, including Python’s Agen.
In the commentary, I provide a biography for each poet and explore their reception and that of their work. I then discuss each of their plays in turn, reconstructing plots where possible and providing information about other treatments of a myth in fifth- and fourth-century drama. Finally, I analyse each fragment, focusing on any textual issues, their literary, stylistic, and dramaturgical qualities, and on their relationship within the dramatic tradition and Greco-Roman literature.
Through analysing the fragments in the form of a commentary, I hope to show that far from representing a ‘terminal decline’ as Edna Hooker once lamented, they instead display many remarkable qualities which make them worthy of study in their own right. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:31:17Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-55426 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:31:17Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-554262025-02-28T12:08:21Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55426/ A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy Sims, Thomas Except for the pseudo-Euripidean Rhesus, fourth-century tragedy has almost entirely been lost to the ravages of time, known only through the quotation of a few isolated lines by later writers or preservation on some sand-worn scraps of papyrus. The poor survival of fourth-century tragedy has inevitably led to suggestions of low quality. Recent scholarship, however, has begun to revise these conclusions, recognising a remarkable inventiveness prevalent in the surviving fragments. This thesis aims to continue the rehabilitation of fourth-century tragedy and takes the form of a commentary on the fragments of Astydamas II, Carcinus II, Chaeremon, and Theodectas, the ‘leading lights’ of this period whose verses comprise over half of what remains. In the introduction, I focus on fourth-century tragedy in general and all its surviving fragments, even those not treated in the commentary. I begin by exploring the internationalisation of this genre and its spread to the Greek-speaking West and East. I then consider the prevalent themes and stylistic features of the fragments and examine fourth-century reaction to fourth-century tragedy, particularly in comedy, oratory, and philosophy. I also discuss fourth-century satyr drama and some of its best surviving examples, including Python’s Agen. In the commentary, I provide a biography for each poet and explore their reception and that of their work. I then discuss each of their plays in turn, reconstructing plots where possible and providing information about other treatments of a myth in fifth- and fourth-century drama. Finally, I analyse each fragment, focusing on any textual issues, their literary, stylistic, and dramaturgical qualities, and on their relationship within the dramatic tradition and Greco-Roman literature. Through analysing the fragments in the form of a commentary, I hope to show that far from representing a ‘terminal decline’ as Edna Hooker once lamented, they instead display many remarkable qualities which make them worthy of study in their own right. 2018-12-12 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55426/1/A%20Commentary%20on%20the%20Fragments%20of%20Fourth-Century%20Tragedy%20-%20Thomas%20Sims.pdf Sims, Thomas (2018) A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Greek literature fourth-century tragedy fourth-century satyr drama Astydamas Carcinus Chaeremon Theodectas |
| spellingShingle | Greek literature fourth-century tragedy fourth-century satyr drama Astydamas Carcinus Chaeremon Theodectas Sims, Thomas A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title | A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title_full | A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title_fullStr | A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title_full_unstemmed | A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title_short | A commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| title_sort | commentary on the fragments of fourth-century tragedy |
| topic | Greek literature fourth-century tragedy fourth-century satyr drama Astydamas Carcinus Chaeremon Theodectas |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55426/ |