Books of Titans Podcast

• #250 - Reading the Greek Tragedies

  I just finished reading all of the Greek Tragedies that survive from Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. That was not the plan, I only expected to read 2 or 3 by each playwright, but I got hooked.In this episode, I share about my experience, cover the major themes throughout those plays, and talk about my favorites. These stories will be with me for the rest of my life. They cover ideas we hear daily in politics, news, and conversation. The plays are utterly thrilling and breathtaking.And we only get to read them. The lucky audience 2,500 years ago got to experience an all-encompassing extravaganza of dance, song, music, and acting. It must have been astonishing. When the time machine is invented, I’m typing in the 400s BC in Athens.Show Notes:* Suggested Greek Tragedy Reading Order This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe

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• #249 - Bacchae by Euripides

  Homer (Simpson, not the epic poet) once said that alcohol is the “cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems.” I think of that quote when I think of the god Dionysus (also known as Bacchus). Dionysus is the god of joy and celebration, but also madness and violence. The god of inspiration and intoxication. He’s the god the indwells through wine, which can both bring happiness and cause drunkenness.The women who follow Dionysus are called Maenads or Bacchants. They worship outside of the city (Thebes in this tragedy play) and partake in rituals that are at first described as orderly. In fact, Tiresias, the blind seer, says that “Even in a Bacchic revel, a woman who is really virtuous will not be corrupted.”We see quite quickly that the rituals are far from orderly. The revels quickly descend into chaos, with the Maenads attacking a nearby town, stealing children, and ripping animals apart.Pentheus, the king of Thebes tries to stop this madness by battling Dionysus himself, who has taken on human form. Dionysus’ goal is to show that he is indeed a god. He convinces the king to explore his curiosity and witness one of the dances by the women. This is forbidden and so Pentheus must don women’s clothing. Perched upon a tree, the women see him, get him down, and promptly rip him to shreds. His mother leads the charge, unaware that she is killing her own son.The recognition scene of all recognition scenes has Pentheus’ mother slowly realize she is not carrying the head of a lion but rather the head of her son. Dionysus has not only destroyed an enemy in Pentheus but has destroyed a devoted worshipper, Pentheus’ mother. Dionysus leaves destruction in his wake, but all those involved do end up realizing he is a god.There’s a lot going on in this play. I had to read it twice to understand it. The lines of the chorus were beautiful. The verbal battles between Pentheus and Dionysus were fascinating. The tragedy at the end, brutal. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe

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• #248 - Helen by Euripides

  What if everything you knew of Helen of Troy wasn’t true? That she didn’t go with Paris to Troy. That instead, she was whisked away to Egypt while the Greeks and Trojans battled it out over her phantom.That’s the storyline of Helen by Euripides. It brings into question perception vs reality. It provides Helen a way to redeem her name. And it makes for an absolutely brilliant and entertaining tragedy play about the most famous woman in Greek literature.In this episode, I cover the storyline, main themes, and the one thing that struck me most about this tragedy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe

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• #247 - Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides

  Homer doesn’t mention her but she permeates the Iliad. Without her, Aeschylus’ Oresteia doesn’t pack the same punch. Her story is so tragic that Euripides doesn’t let this play end as it should. He has her whisked away so she is not sacrificed.Her name is Iphigenia. She’s the daughter of Agamemnon, the King of the Greeks. This play takes place before the Iliad, before the Trojan War. The Greeks with their 1000 ships are headed to Troy to reclaim Helen. But Agamemnon has messed up. He hunted one of Artemis’ sacred deer. The winds have stopped. The winds that are required for the Greeks to sail to Troy. They are stuck in Aulis.There’s only one way to fix this. Artemis demands a sacrifice. Not your typical sacrifice. This one will hurt. And it will hurt Agamemnon. Artemis demands the human sacrifice of Iphigenia in order for the winds to pick back up and lead the army to Troy.I’ve seen this story referenced often in Greek literature. I’ve wondered how it actually happened. How did Agamemnon justify this? Did Clytemnestra his wife know what was about to happen? Did she try to stop him? What did Achilles think of all this? His name was used as a pretext to lure Iphigenia to Aulis in hopes of a wedding.This is tragedy at its finest. An impossible situation. Damned if you do; damned if you don’t. Necessity brought by the gods.This is my favorite tragedy play by Euripides of his surviving 19. This helps in understanding the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles in the Iliad and between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in The Oresteia.In this episode, I give a brief outline of the tragedy, share themes and things I learned, and talk about the one thing that stuck out the most.Show Notes:I read the Penguin Classics version of this play translated by John Davie with intro/notes by Dr. Richard Rutherford This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe

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• #246 - Orestes by Euripides

  That’s such a brutal painting. Orestes has stabbed his own mother and the furies are immediately there to torment him. The story of Orestes was explored by each of the three main Greek tragedy playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Aeschylus set the standard with The Oresteia, Sophocles approached it through Electra, and Euripides through both Orestes & Electra.Orestes if a fascinating character study. He kills his mother Clytemnestra in vengeance of her killing her husband, Orestes’ father, Agamemnon. Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia. Orestes thinks he is just. Clytemnestra thinks she is just. Agamemnon thinks he had to do what he had to do.Who is just? How is that determined? Can justice be meted out eye for an eye? What about in the case of a death? The wronged party cannot seek justice. Someone must do it on their behalf. How does that cycle end?These are the questions that come up in Orestes. It caused me to think about ways in which these cycles of violence could end. I share this ideas in this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe

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