Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:44:07.727Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2024

Ruby Blondell
Affiliation:
University of Washington
David Konstan
Affiliation:
New York University
HTML view is not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Summary

According to Aristotle, character or ethos in tragedy is ’that which reveals what the moral choice is like’. This kind of ethos is what this book explores in Sophocles, by examining five tragedies in which moral choice is central to the course of the drama. These choices are made within the context of traditional Greek morality, which, amongst other things, expected one to help one’s friends and harm one’s enemies. Closely allied to these principles is the conception of justice as retaliation. This nexus of principles provides a pervasive ethical background to most of Greek literature and is of special significance for tragedy.

Type
Chapter
Information
Helping Friends and Harming Enemies
A Study in Sophocles and Greek Ethics
, pp. 1 - 25
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Introduction
  • Ruby Blondell, University of Washington
  • Foreword by David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Helping Friends and Harming Enemies
  • Online publication: 06 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009465854.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Ruby Blondell, University of Washington
  • Foreword by David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Helping Friends and Harming Enemies
  • Online publication: 06 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009465854.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Ruby Blondell, University of Washington
  • Foreword by David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Helping Friends and Harming Enemies
  • Online publication: 06 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009465854.004
Available formats
×