Achilles in Greek Tragedy

In contrast to earlier scholarly work, which has focused on the Achilles of the Homeric epics, this study examines how one of the most popular and glamorous figures of Greek mythology was imagined on the tragic stage of fifth-century Athens. Dr Michelakis argues that dramatists persistently appropriated Achilles to address concerns of their time, from heroism and education to individualism and gender. The book considers the whole corpus of extant Greek tragedy, with particular...
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In contrast to earlier scholarly work, which has focused on the Achilles of the Homeric epics, this study examines how one of the most popular and glamorous figures of Greek mythology was imagined on the tragic stage of fifth-century Athens. Dr Michelakis argues that dramatists persistently appropriated Achilles to address concerns of their time, from heroism and education to individualism and gender. The book considers the whole corpus of extant Greek tragedy, with particular attention paid to Aeschylus' Myrmidons and Euripides' Hecuba and Iphigenia at Aulis.