{"product_id":"acts-of-compassion-in-greek-tragic-drama-53-9780806151663","title":"Acts of Compassion in Greek Tragic Drama, 53","description":"\u003cbr\u003e The ability of human beings to feel compassion or empathy for one another--and express that emotion by offering comfort or assistance--is an important antidote to violence and aggression. In ancient Greece, the epics of Homer and the tragic dramas performed each spring in the Theater of Dionysus offered citizens valuable lessons concerning the necessity and proper application of compassionate action. This book is the first full-length examination of compassion (\u003ci\u003eeleos\u003c\/i\u003e or \u003ci\u003eoiktos \u003c\/i\u003ein Greek) as a dramatic theme in ancient Greek literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Through careful textual analysis, James F. Johnson surveys the treatment of compassion in the epics of Homer, especially the \u003ci\u003eIliad, \u003c\/i\u003e and in the works of the three great Athenian tragedians: Aischylos, Euripides, and Sophokles. He emphasizes reciprocity, reverence, and retribution as defining features of Greek compassion during the Homeric and Archaic periods. In framing his analysis, Johnson distinguishes compassion from pity. Whereas in English the word \"pity\" suggests an attitude of superiority toward the sufferer, the word \"compassion\" has a more positive connotation and implies equality in status between subject and object. Although scholars have conventionally translated \u003ci\u003eeleos \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eoiktos\u003c\/i\u003e as \"pity,\" Johnson argues that our modern-day notion of compassion comes closest to encompassing the meaning of those two Greek words. Beginning with Homer, \u003ci\u003eeleos \u003c\/i\u003enormally denotes an emotion that entails action of some sort, whereas \u003ci\u003eoiktos\u003c\/i\u003e usually refers to the emotion itself. Johnson also draws associations between compassion and the concepts of fear and pity, which Aristotle famously attributed to tragedy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Because the Athenian plays are tragedies, they mainly show the disastrous consequences of a world where compassion falls short. At the same time, they offer glimpses into a world where compassion can generate a more beneficial--and therefore more hopeful--outcome. Their message resonates with today's readers as much as it did for fifth-century Athenians.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Franklin Johnson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Oklahoma Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/16\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Oklahoma Classical Culture #53\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.2lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.10w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780806151663","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44322430615689,"sku":"9780806151663","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_3cc8e017-efce-4419-9abc-1bd305be1b83.jpg?v=1750136634","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/acts-of-compassion-in-greek-tragic-drama-53-9780806151663","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}