Like other classical Greek tragedies, Sophocles' Philoctetes is an extraordinarily timely and timeless play. Dramatising the efforts of people who had wronged him to bring the play's hero, Philoctetes, to join the Greek forces in their war against Troy, it traces the moral and emotional development of the young Neoptolemos as he struggles between the values of honesty and deceit, honour and expedience.

This is an introduction to the play for students and lay readers. The well focused chapters on Greek theatre and performance, the mythical background, and the literary, intellectual, and political context in which the play was written and first performed illuminate the issues with which the play grapples. Its persuasive analyses of the characters and plot shed light on the play's complexities and ambiguities. All in all, the book makes Sophocles' great play more accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful to modern readers who want to know more about the world of classical Greek tragedy.

Contents

Preface
1. Theatre and Performance
2. The Myth
3. The Play
4. The Contexts
5. Odysseus and Philoctetes
6. Neoptolemus
7. Heracles
8. Philoctetes in Our Time
Notes
Guide to Further Reading
Bibliography
Glossary
Chronology
Index