Ruth Scodel is currently D. R. Shackleton Bailey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Latin in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. Her most recent books are Epic Facework: Self-Presentation and Social Interaction in Homer (2008) and Whither Quo Vadis? Sienkiewicz's Novel in Film and Television (2008). She is also the author of numerous articles on Greek literature.

• 1. Defining tragedy; 2. Approaches; 3. Origin, festival, and competition; 4. Historical and intellectual background; 5. Persians; 6. The Oresteia; 7. Antigone; 8. Medea; 9. Hippolytus; 10. Oedipus the King; 11. Helen; 12. Orestes; 13. Comparing the tragedians; 14. The inheritance of Greek tragedy.

'Scodel's book is an accessible and lively account of a complex dramatic form with enduring interest for modern audiences. In addition to providing reliable background information, she draws her readers into fascinating debates about the origins, staging, and interpretation of tragedy and brings to life both familiar and lesser-known characters in her lucid analyses of individual plays.' Laura McClure, University of Wisconsin, Madison