Emotion in Action ─ Thucydides and the Tragic Chorus

Visvardi explores collective emotion in fifth century Athenian life, with special focus on the choral voice of Greek tragedy. More specifically, she examines how a particular set of choruses performs and theorizes fear and pity, in order to elucidate the content, mechanics, and effect of collective fear and pity within the plays, and to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the tragic chorus itself. She argues that, partly through its choruses, Greek tragedy participated in exploring and shaping collective psychology in the fifth century BC. To show that the workings and power of collective emotion were explicitly addressed in various public fora during the period for their impact in political life, she analyzes collective emotion in Thucydides' History. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Eirene Visvardi, PhD (2007), is Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at Wesleyan University.