Contemporary Drama in English Studies

This study examines ten Irish versions of Greek tragedy that have been written and produced between 1988 and 2019. Its focus is on the transformations that different formal elements of the Greek plays undergo in conjunction with the foregrounding of specific thematic fields. The study identifies a development over time regarding the topics that are foregrounded which can be conceptualized as a trajectory from the individual to the family and ultimately the surrounding community. The case studies in the chapters consider tragic mother figures and the relevance of peripeteia in the tragic plot, the tragic family of Antigone and Creon and the importance of dialogue in various types of renegotiations within the family, and lastly transformations of the Greek chorus to achieve a re-examination of the relationship between community and individual. The different chapters reveal different ways in which Greek tragedy has been creatively used to highlight existing tensions in Irish society, seriously engage with the suffering of different groups in society and overall to react to and participate in processes of social and cultural change.