This is an engaging introduction to Greek tragedy, its history, and its reception in the contemporary world. Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz sets ancient tragedy into its original theatrical, political, and ritual context and applies modern critical approaches to understanding why tragedy continues to interest modern audiences. Presenting multiple perspectives and addressing the significant topics in the field, this comprehensive book examines tragedy's relationship to Athenian democracy, religion, and myth. It explores how contemporary approaches to scholarship - including structuralist, psychoanalytic, and feminist theory - have changed the study and reception of Greek tragedy. Providing a thorough examination of ancient performance practices, and including detailed readings of selected plays, this text explores tragedy's ideology and effects, illuminating the reasons why Greek tragedy continues to be a subject of consequence to the modern world.