Monody in Euripides Character and the Liberation of Form in Late Greek Tragedy

The solo singer takes center stage in Euripides’ late tragedies. Solo song – what the Ancient Greeks called monody – is a true dramatic innovation, combining and transcending the traditional poetic forms of Greek tragedy. At the same time, Euripides uses solo song to explore the realm of the interior and the personal in an expanded expressive range. Contributing to the current scholarly debate on music, emotion, and characterization in Greek drama, this book presents a new vision for the role of monody in the musical design of Ion, Iphigenia among the Taurians, Phoenician Women, and Orestes. Drawing on her practical experience in the theater, Catenaccio establishes the central importance of monody in Euripides’ art.
Establishes the central importance of monody (solo actor’s song) in Ancient Greek drama
Situates monody within the context of theatrical and musical innovation in Athens in the late fifth century BCE
Presents a new theory of solo song in Greek drama as a vehicle to express varied emotions, including grief, anger, fear, surprise, and joy