Tragic Pathos

An examination of pity and fear as responses to tragedy in ancient Greek thought.

In modern times philosophers and neuropsychologists have explored the nature of the emotions aroused by literature; but ancient Greek thinkers had already developed their unique assessments of the tragic emotions. This analysis of pity and fear within fifth-century tragedies provides insights into the ethical and social implications of the emotions.Scholars have often focused on understanding Aristotle's poetic theory, and particularly the concept of catharsis in the Poetics, as a response to Plato's critique of pity in the Republic. However, this book shows that, while Greek thinkers all acknowledge pity and some form of fear as responses to tragedy, each assumes for the two emotions a different purpose, mode of presentation and, to a degree, understanding. This book reassesses expressions of the emotions within different tragedies and explores emotional responses to and discussions of the tragedies by contemporary philosophers, providing insights into the ethical and social implications of the emotions.