The Psychoanalytic Theory of Greek Tragedy

In this provocative book, C. Fred Alford examines the possibility that the insights into human needs and aspirations offered by the great Greek tragedies are more profound than psychoanalytic theory. Drawing on the work of Melanie Klein, R. J. Lifton, Jacques Lacan, and others, Alford presents his own psychoanalytic interpretation of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. "A book that will be of intellectual profit, professional interest, and delight to mental health professionals of all disciplines as well as to non-clinical readers."-Ellen Handler Spitz, author of Art and Psyche. "A powerful interpretation of Greek tragedy at the level of the most fundamental human existential and ethical dilemmas. Alford uses psychoanalysis with a deft hand, and enlarges our understanding of both the premises of Greek tragedy and the premises of psychoanalysis. Building skillfully on the work of his predecessors, Alford has produced an impressive work that truly advances our understanding."-Bennett Simon, M.D., author of Tragic Drama and the Family: Psychoanalytic Studies from Aeschylus to Beckett "Few books are as humane and moral as this one, not to speak of its interpretive value. . . . Students of humanity at all levels who think tragedy is meaningful today should read this book."-David N. Wigtil, Religious Studies Review