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Greek Tragedy

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Two volume set - two paperbacks; parts one and two complete. The Great Courses series - Lecture Transcript and Course Guidebook. One or two insignificant faults - each volume in very good condition, with clean, sound pages. TS

Audio CD

Published January 1, 2000

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About the author

Elizabeth Vandiver

34 books124 followers
Elizabeth Vandiver is Associate Professor of Classics and Clement Biddle Penrose Professor of Latin at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. She was formerly Director of the Honors Humanities program at the University of Maryland at College Park, where she also taught in the Department of Classics. She completed her undergraduate work at Shimer College and went on to earn her M.A. and Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to taking her position at Maryland, she held visiting professorships at Northwestern University, the University of Georgia, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, Loyola University of New Orleans, and Utah State University.

Professor Vandiver is the author of Heroes in Herodotus: The Interaction of Myth and History. She has also written numerous articles and has delivered many papers at national and international conferences.

In 1998, The American Philological Association recognized her achievements as a lecturer with its Excellence in Teaching Award, the most prestigious teaching prize given to American classicists. Her other awards include the Northwestern University Department of Classics Excellence in Teaching Award and two University of Georgia Outstanding Honors Professor Awards.

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5 stars
167 (51%)
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124 (38%)
3 stars
30 (9%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Linda.
Author 2 books245 followers
November 1, 2022
Outstanding 5+

I wish I could personally thank Dr. Elizabeth Vandiver for her course on Greek tragedy. It was that good. In 24 finely constructed, thought-provoking lectures, she examined the cultural and historical background that led to tragedy's origins in 5th-century Athens, its development as a form (production, stagecraft, acting style, costume), and the works of the three great tragedians: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Her illuminating lectures inspired me to read and listen to ten classic plays. I even saw a production of the Oresteia. The background she provided enhanced my understanding and enjoyment. In addition, she demonstrated the way the plays and playwrights built upon each other and highlighted shifts and innovations in the form over time.

I learned a great deal from my foray into Greek tragedy with Elizabeth Vandiver as my guide. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in the classical world or the origins of theater in the west.
Profile Image for Irena Pasvinter.
393 reviews110 followers
May 23, 2023
This is the second course by Elizabeth Vandiver I listened to (the first one was Herodotus: The Father of History). Both were excellent. By now I'm convinced that any course on classics taught by Elizabeth Vandiver would be of outstanding quality, due to her well-organized, logical and yet engaging delivery, infused by her first-rate expertise in the field of Ancient Greek and Latin language and culture.

Elizabeth Vandiver's deep knowledge allows for lots of interesting insights. For me the most memorable aspect of this course was how little we actually know for sure about what was going on in the ancient Greek theater, the sources of this knowledge, what we do know with any degree of certainty and what is based solely on speculations and creative interpretation of data.

For example, we still don't really know if at the time when Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides staged their plays women were allowed to be in the audience. Also, our understanding of what characterized ancient Greek tragedy is based on a small and not necessarily representative sample of preserved works and Aristotle's Poetics written more than a century later (which is rather a series of lecture notes than a manuscript meant for publication).

I'm looking forward to listening more courses taught by Elizabeth Vandiver produced by The Teaching Company (aka Great Courses aka their new pretentious and vulgar name, which I refuse to use as a matter of principle;)).
Profile Image for Kaushal.
16 reviews2 followers
January 25, 2019
"Elizabeth Vandiver" to me is a mastero in classics. I have listened all (most) of her's Great Courses and found them really fulfilling. You can read the original texts of classics Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid etc but listening to these sets a pretty good context to really enjoy them. It's like you are trying a new dish and all these flavors are melting in your head but you don't quite know what they are until someone gives you a subtle hint and it hits you what exactly you are experiencing. The analysis of the scenery, the contemporary thought process, culture gives you a really good context. Absolutely Amazing !...
Profile Image for Boo.
427 reviews63 followers
December 20, 2020
So good. A topic I'm hugely interested in and I've read a fair number of Greek plays so I really feel like I'm getting something from this. The audio is really strong as well as is the lecturer. I really enjoy the great courses plus and think they’re of huge benefits to people wanting to learn more about whatever topic they are interested in.
Profile Image for Ivy-Mabel Fling.
596 reviews42 followers
August 14, 2018
This is an absolutely excellent introduction to Greek tragedy. Professor Vandiver explains clearly and concisely the evolution of the genre, the connections with the myths and what is known or can be deduced about the staging. She also gives an overview of all the main interpretations and theories and includes no personal anecdotes or jargon. I would recommend it to anyone with a genuine interest in the subject (it does require quite a lot of work on the part of the listener as it covers around 20 plays, which all have to be read!)
Profile Image for Cris.
793 reviews33 followers
May 26, 2023
I love Elisabeth Vandiver. Her knowledge about the Greek world and her analysis and context setting make her literary explications extraordinary. She is a superb lecturer and her insights are numerous and powerful. Outstanding series of lectures.
Profile Image for Chris Bowley.
129 reviews47 followers
January 19, 2023
Greek Legacy is by Elizabeth Vandiver is an outstanding resource and learning aid for any student wanting to build an understanding of Greek Tragedy of the 5th century BC. The course would also benefit anyone with an interest in classical studies in a broader sense.

Each lecture typically covers either a single play or two plays that are connected in some way. In order to make sense of a play, the lecturer often initially provides the original mythic background before giving details of the play itself (which is of course based on the myth) and then moves on to discussing how they differ. If relevant to assist understanding, the specific time period when the play was known to have been performed is described. This often gives great added value to plot points, scenes and symbolism that would otherwise be confusing. The lecturer very professionally and fairly points out limitations of any scholarly interpretations (from herself or others).

Outside of specific Greek Tragedys, the lecture series includes information on the following: origins of Greek Tragedy, Athenian society of the time, Greek comedy, legacy of the genre.

Elizabeth Vandiver speaks very quickly and packs a huge amount of information into each individual 30-minute lecture. Unless the student is already familiar with the subject of Greek Tragedy, this lecture series will not be casual listening. However, if the student perseveres he or she will be richly rewarded with the ability to tackle any of the works mentioned herein.



Profile Image for William Adam Reed.
283 reviews11 followers
June 28, 2023
This is the second course by Elizabeth Vandiver that I have finished listening to. The other one was on Greek Mythology. I have also listened to Great Authors of the Western Intellectual Tradition, which she was a co-professor on, she did the first section on the Greeks and Roman authors, naturally. I think she is one of the very best lecturers that the Great Courses has employed. She is always interesting, well spoken, comprehensive, well balanced and engaging to listen to. I may have liked this course slightly less than the Greek Mythology course, but I think that is because I feel I knew more about Greek tragedy coming in to the lectures than I did about Greek Mythology. I read Euripides and Sophocles in high school/college (and even was in "Antigone" in high school, even if it was Anouilh's version).

There are 24 lectures here. Vandiver gives a bit of background on how the Greeks came to do tragedy and its development over time. I thought this section of lectures (about four) would be boring, but she brought out a lot of interesting points. Then she introduces why Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are so important. The last section of the lectures is when Vandiver goes over each of the important plays and gives context, analysis, and historical connection why these plays are significant. So if "Oedipus the King", "Medea", "The Oresteia", "Antigone", or "The Trojan Women" have ever gripped your attention, as they have mine, then her insights will be worthwhile time spent. They really are enjoyable lectures and very well presented. I would be willing to listen to all the courses that she has to offer.
Profile Image for Gilbert Stack.
Author 88 books76 followers
March 29, 2022
There are two major benefits to this Great Courses text. The first is the obvious one, Elizabeth Vandiver walks the reader through the great tragedies of Ancient Athens not only outlining the plots of these plays but helping to visualize what is happening and showing how they evolve and compare to the other Greek tragedies. The second major benefit is what she teaches us about the ancient Athenians and their culture through these plays and in helping to put the events in the plays in their historical context. It’s a wonderful book.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Profile Image for Nina.
354 reviews
December 31, 2019
An excellent course on the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Well worth the time.
Profile Image for Jason.
246 reviews6 followers
April 12, 2023
This was a great guided tour through the extant Greek tragedies. I would've loved to see more content on the influences of ancient tragedies on modern culture.
Profile Image for Christopher Harris.
155 reviews
February 14, 2024
I feel that I get more out of these texts from these courses than from reading the actual texts. insights and tidbits of knowledge are being added into the play and historical context make these courses excellent!
Profile Image for Kade.
94 reviews2 followers
May 11, 2025
Sorry to start off talking about myself but I think it's relevant so bear with me:

I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I first stumbled upon Greek mythology, but I DO remember looking into the lore after watching the 1997 Disney movie Hercules and being disappointed/horrified to discover A whole LOT of rape, incest, cannibalism, petty squabbling, sexism , and other unpleasantness... What made this content even more off putting was that the morally repulsive actions were often taken by characters that were portrayed as "protagonists" in the Disney film . By the time I read the Odyssey in 7th grade, I had established the opinion that I was not particularly interested in these ancient stories about heroes and gods doing shitty things.

While I acknowledged the historical significance and understood why "classics" were important to many people, I didn't find anything specifically appealing in Greek Myth. I figured, with so many other options available, why should I slog through a dense, old translation of a story when the story would probably just make me feel uncomfortable, depressed or angry. However, my perspective changed when I decided to listen to one of Elizabeth Vandiver's "Great Courses" on the Illiad. I was initially looking to learn some background information for a ~podcast I was working on~ (we all make mistakes) about different beliefs surrounding Hell & the afterlife. So was surprised when Vandiver's lectures completely captivated me. There are multiple people who [previously] loathed Homer who I've made (FORCED) to listen to her course on the Illiad (so I've listened three times) and now they're also converts.

I never expected to feel so enthusiastic about Greek mythology, but Vandiver's passion and expertise brought the stories to life.

So when I saw THIS course available from my library, getting in the waiting list was a no-brainer!

I was listening to various books and courses about math and science when this course finally became available from my library, and when it did I thought for a moment that I wasn't really ~in the mood~ to learn about history... But as soon as I started listening, I was practically buzzing with excitement. Suddenly I was ALL IN. TELL ME MORE.

Of course this series is also amazing. It's rare to find a professor who can be clear and precise about the details, and yet still explain the basics thoroughly AND without seeming condescending or bored. It's rare to find a professor who clearly knows the material inside and out, and still seems passionate and engaged with their entry level students. Yet Professor Vandiver is all of those things! How does she do it?!

She's also such a gem because she is incredibly empathetic. This quality of hers shines through in everything she does, especially in literary analysis and teaching. When it comes to digging deep into a text, she doesn't just analyze the words on the page; she also considers the emotions and experiences behind them. This allows her to connect with the characters in a way that goes beyond surface-level understanding. And when she's teaching, her empathy helps her relate to her students on a personal level, making it easier for them to grasp complex concepts and feel supported in their learning journey. It's this unique combination of empathy and intelligence that sets her apart and makes her exceptional at what she does.

Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to one or all of Vandivers courses. She truly is an exceptional lecturer, and I'm grateful for the newfound appreciation she has given me for these ancient tales.
Profile Image for Daryl Mather.
87 reviews
July 13, 2022
Elizabeth Vandiver is clearly a virtuoso lecturer and a master of this subject. Informative, detailed, entertaining, and enjoyable

This is truly a course rather than a series of lectures. It starts with a comprehensive definition in the context of what a Tragedy is in ancient Greece. Including a fascinating lecture on Athenian democracy, the inter-relationship between the two, and the links to Dionysus.

The descriptions of the Tragedies themselves are sublime. They are filled with aesthetic descriptions and mythological detail that brought these alive in my mind.

You will leave this course with a solid understanding of the mythology behind each play, the historical context and its relationship to major contemporary events, as well as the complexity of ancient Greek stagecraft and glimpses of the lives of the Greek Tragedians themselves.

This was a complete pleasure and it has inspired me to read all of the plays mentioned while referring back to the comprehensive lecture notes and this audio again.

A perfect companion for close reading.
Profile Image for Eva.
154 reviews40 followers
April 23, 2022
An excellent lecture series. Prof. Vandiver analyses the extant tragedies while comparing how different tragedians treated the same myth depending on their sensibilities and illustrating how ancient crowds must have reacted to these productions given the burning questions of the period and the political context.

The segment about the characteristics of tragedy was particularly illuminating. When learning about tragedies at school we were taught about several "requirements" which needed to be respected for a dramatic performance to be deemed a tragedy (such as the catharsis and the "fatal flaw" of the tragic hero). We were given the impression that there were principles ALL tragedies had to adhere to.

It turns out that these criteria are conclusions drawn upon analysis of the tragic plays many years after their initial presentation, in an effort to find common patterns and to distill why they work as an art form. It is not a one-size-fits-all situation, however. It is not like a movement where rigid rules are predefined and should absolutely be respected (much like crossing items off a check list). Indeed, many of the tragedies we know of do not fit the identified patterns at all.

I was particularly fascinated by the exploration of “hamartia” (a concept coined by Aristotle in his "Poetics" about a hundred years after the era of the three great tragedians). The term was famously translated as the "fatal flaw" of a character and this translation gave rise to various psychological interpretations of the ancient tragedies. However, it turns out that the best translation would be "wrong estimation". Through that lens, the heroes are tragic because they interpret a situation and pursue what they perceive to be the best course of action, only to realize in the end that they were misguided.

Although quite obvious to some, this shift in perspective was a revelation to me. It makes much more sense for a hero to be tragic because of an error in judgment, rather than being condemned for a defect that is inherent in his character.

To make matters even more interesting, if one were to consider how hamartia comes into play in "Antigone", the person who arises as the tragic hero is, in fact, Creon!

As someone who took the "hamartia as a fatal flaw" definition to be a done deal, and as someone who – at the same time - felt a bit trapped by this interpretation (trying to see how my readings fit into that mold and getting frustrated when a convincing answer eluded me), I was fascinated and relieved to be apprised of the complexity of the situation. I think my future readings will be much more rewarding.
Profile Image for Thomas.
Author 1 book36 followers
January 20, 2022
In this series of lectures, I learned all about ancient Greek tragedy, which is to say the plays of such ancient Athenian luminaries as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. They apparently had a large impact on Western literature.

Professor Vandiver does a great job of shedding light on these ancient plays and their place in Athenian society during the fourth century B.C. as well as their influence during the centuries that followed. It’s all here, the context, how they were put on, the playwrights, and the plays themselves.

This was definitely worth my time.
Profile Image for Dennis Murphy.
983 reviews12 followers
February 29, 2024
Greek Tragedy by Elizabeth Vandiver is a simply wonderful survey of Greek Tragedy, describing its origins, its principal authors, and the vast majority of their plays while explaining their themes, the context in which they emerged, and cautioned against the temptation to generalize based on what we can see from the available remaining tragedies. There's a lot to like here, and it is easy to fall into things. This is also a part of classical Greece I was less familiar with, so almost every lecture was filled with new information to me. It is really well done.
519 reviews11 followers
January 23, 2025
Learned a lot. Prof.Vandiver did a great job in comparing between the dramas between different authors and the scholarship surrounding it. Among all the tragedians, my favorites are Aeschylus and Sophocles. Aeschylus is like an old patrician, noble, traditional, and also terrifying. The gods are portrayed as fulfilling its traditional roles. Sophocles, meanwhile is modern and almost atheistic. His characters are isolated, disturbed, and insanely consistent. The gods are only visible through omens, oracles, and divinators.
423 reviews
did-not-finish
April 26, 2024
DNF audiobook- read by author, delivered much too fast, so even when I slow audio speed down to 75% on Audible app it still sounds hurried. Author also trying to pack too much content into each lecture instead of picking some key things to focus on to keep interest up. For me this one isn’t as useful as other Great Course series.
Profile Image for Tammy.
726 reviews13 followers
May 7, 2019
I really enjoyed learning about Greek Tragedy. That sounds strange to say but I am sure that anything that Elizabeth Vandiver teaches I would enjoy learning about! Would love to attend her class in person. Give her a try!
Profile Image for Book busy .
333 reviews1 follower
December 21, 2024
I read these lectures as an audiobook to supplement my studies and recap some things. I think they are a perfectly good source of accessible thematic analysis and plot summary of the texts I needed to review and I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of pertinent context.
Profile Image for John.
1,837 reviews58 followers
November 22, 2017
Downloaded. Decent survey course, light on quoted passages but clear about themes--both t he enduring sort and those that would have struck chords when the plays were first presented.
Profile Image for Sasha.
179 reviews2 followers
March 5, 2019
Спасибо профессору Вендивер, теперь я могу представить, как охуенно выглядел древнегреческий театр. Современное телевидение может идти перекурить.
Profile Image for Chris Moorhead.
42 reviews
November 7, 2020
The lectures are very informative, but quite intense. The PDF is pretty good for summarising the main points.
Profile Image for João.
75 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2021
Another excellent set of lectures by professor vandiver. Highly Recommended
Profile Image for Tiffany.
390 reviews31 followers
September 17, 2021
Elizabeth Vandiver is (should be) a national treasure. Her presentations are riveting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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