Aeschylus, Character, and the Yoke of Necessity

Aeschylus, Character, and the Yoke of Necessity considers the works of Aeschylus in the context of the playwright's handling of dramatic character and the conflict between freedom and compulsion. Aeschylus was an Athenian citizen during the first generation of that polis's democratic system. As such, he and his contemporaries were encountering a kind of free agency unknown before in history. Aeschylus presents the archetype of the “tragedy of character” that will resonate throughout world l...