Else Lecture: Tragic Democracy Revisited. Freedom & Equality - Or Else Tyranny?

There's been a spate of recent writing, from very varied perspectives, on possible links between democracy and tragedy both ancient and modern. In my lecture I'll re-open the question of how (to what degree, in what ways) ancient Greek/Athenian tragic drama was or was not essentially democratic, and conversely how theatrically tragic were ancient Greek democratic politics. This will tie in with my recent book, _Democracy A Life_ (OUP/NY, April 2016), as well as with Professor Else's known expertise, and should appeal to anyone interested in poiltical thought both ancient and modern as well as dramatic representation, and especially their inter(en)action. Coincidentally, the Cambridge Triennial Greek Play - in fact, plays - will be staged within 10 days of my Else Lecture: a double bill of Sophocles Antigone followed by Aristophanes Lysistrata. The Antigone will serve as one famous, key illustration of my themes. Another is the Prometheus Bound attributed to Aeschylus.