Gods on Stage in Greek Tragedy
Abstract
The question to be addressed in this paper is a simple one to formulate, though less simple to answer, namely ‘What did it mean in the tragic theatre of Classical Athens to show gods on stage?’ I have chosen it as a small way of paying simultaneous honour to Walter Pötscher’s illuminating work on Greek religion and Greek tragedy. To begin with a negative point. There is nothing in the surviving evidence to suggest that the purpose of showing gods on stage was to make the audience think about the life of gods in their own divine world. The extant plays in which gods are represented as stage figures all direct their focus to the world of human beings.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Classical Antiquity Studies
Classical Philosophy and Thought
Theatre and Performance Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Pages
- 101–111
- Publication date
- 27 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter