Rosie Wyles appears on BBC Radio 4 to discuss Greek tragedy

Rosie Wyles

Dr Rosie Wyles, Lecturer in the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row programme in an episode about theatre and tragedy (Rosie features at 20:30) on Wednesday 27 March in an episode about theatre and modern audiences’ reaction to tragedy.

The programme presented by Stig Abell, considered the question of whether audiences today can still be moved by Greek tragedy. The question was discussed by playwrights who have both produced adaptations of Greek tragedy in their careers: April De Angelis (‘After Electra’ in 2015) and Roy Williams (Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ 2014).

Rosie offered the perspective of how these plays would have been consumed in the original context, noting that tragedy deals with both the big issues of society alongside the relatable struggles of individuals, that the performances were attended by mass audiences (which were perhaps exclusively male) as part of a civic and religious festival, and that these plays responded to political circumstances and even tried to offer a way forward (seen in the example of Aeschylus’ Oresteia).

Rosie goes on to state: “One of the powers of Greek tragedy is getting that balance between looking at the individual and looking at the bigger picture, including themes of family, gender and power.”

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