The imagery of Greek tragedy: Three characteristics

Abstract

Through a detailed analysis of the imagery of Aeschylus’ Oresteia and an overview of the imagery of numerous other plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, this article examines three characteristics of the imagery of Greek tragedy: 1) the significant recurrent images of a play are closely related to the literal action or background of the play; 2) the dominant images of a play clearly reflect the overall movement of the plot; 3) “inverted imagery”; ‐ imagery in which ugly acts and emotions are associated with joyful or productive images ‐ is frequently used to suggest a world in moral and spiritual chaos. The article concludes by briefly relating these three characteristics to the imagery of Homer's Iliad and Shakespeare's tragedies.