¥ poses ae | Tragedy and Civilization An Interpretation of Sophodes Charles Segad Published for Obert College by Harvard University Press Cambie, Massa, an Lon gland vontTragedy and the Civilzing Power High on amounts in arogged and lonely part of Acacia sands 2 tama srie to Zeus Lain, Wolf Zeus. Plt aues to legend char human see was ela prcticd there andthe celebrant to parole ofthe enh ened into 2 wot. Ast the valley fr thi grim preci, in x spo of wi and desolate beauty in a place known athe “lens, Raom, asl Greck city erected an cabort rrp othe ose ciized ‘ofits gods, Apo Epikounos, the Hepet" Approaching his ample a Base fom the cy of Phigues, as he ancien i the vitor experiences a sulk ‘inal confonation of ization and swagsry. Before the ancient specter ‘ood the ordered geomet ofeslumnsand pede oun pant he ged ‘mountaintops whieh sich far inthe dance, rcxtandig and unexpected Sn har desolate sting, the temple seems a5 arbizary an caple of pure for anu human design as an Ac anphors or the tytn of age chor. Bat Prominent jas Beyond the tmp the mountsn where» gray ond pave ful iolted one of the is ws of human ciao asthe Greks dnd the boo agains canis ‘What he Greck vitor would have thought ofthis spectace we shall ewe now, The ste eel sas an archer embodiment ofthe confi be ‘een savage and vied pce, berween nate ard cate pa sn nn), thar pewades Grek chought, art, and religion. Ir arests tthe inexhaustible ower wih wbich the Greeks were able to cepreset this bai anstomy to ‘Benevento, "The Grek empienoc only visa express the ifeence tener mn ature bua forma spsiul botuary beeen the safe, formed Word ofthe plisand the dangerous, foemles, eit ouside, the ars, er Which [is caived te adjective iy wl” Savage” Thus te temples chat ie the tidge tAcragay now he cuskrs of modem Agage, cnt the dof the {goa and the shaping inligene of enw defend te city om the unknown the enters “The biking which more than any ther, summed pth ized achive smectofitvcemary Athens prsemed on ts ret Fee the eae chiens in aria procesion celebrating the civic and elgious order tat made the ky pose The qui, ented agate of the gous on te es ez contra sary ‘withthe agitated movement of the human figures onthe north avout, Bu he human gues in their say advance contrast also with the unruly Bests 1‘Tragedy and Ciizaton wing kl the serie The metope showed 3 has sug ecw the ‘sal Cematrs andthe Lach yout who real fc young. thn fhe fier The meiopes ea eminent ee sto sic witoa aug ne tebe whoa On he we plane, fing tovard ee and he sine San nd ogi Aer gods ofthe cyan is ching ar ote ns magn cote with eso, god of ti une eng oth en sey lee de ‘ofthe exh ts dep detective monn. The poi: ofthe cant ee isu ofc, whether Athens or Peeso asthe tl le " In the previous generation the west pediment of the temple of Zeus at ‘Olympia gee monet exproion oe forte herb ner oc an and bes sain te una Beseeh antseTharn furs of th Lapis, again opts thor worm ufone te ed fir the Cnt Apo, ing ewan cal cay ooh svn dane and dn encoagsme tc hte ie lene In cele Tipo eal rough comer with he Eanhenon the meting role of cvzaton bern nate Sh te eo & Seu’ expressed hegre of th ung ho, the human age conch song aicunreo men This cnaston tic hovel uh se be Seen cto gees, Kote he cn an ihe eral Dee cokes the other arate staan of human lion, te ows (ado) ot fami. Tekan we yr was the sao hepa vith eh Sop ces sda the aa crpeton snd won pa 1 By “ivilization” I mean the tea of mans achiever in shaping his stincively human li, his deminacon and eploaton of rau, isco ‘of fail, ial and cve organizations, is bliin of eel andre ‘Bou vals, and that subordination of isin o resto, of atare” “co “son,” which ihe reson of all hese Une rece, Western may ‘ew of evizaton fas heen based 8 the maser ies of progses tt ‘ongience inthe power of reson, and epedally science, eo maser nate with ever-expanding conzol snd ncresingy bene res Yor the Grek ciation (for which tere sno single Greck word)? s semething mre bic and ao moeeprecaious. Within the stature of Grech ‘Sought, evaationthe wal of mn’ socal orgniation and colt = tainmens— craps a mediate positon beoncen the “uae ie OF he Beas ‘the ce hand an the eternal hapiaest ofthe Ness gos on the oer Goat ste fruit of mas stage to dace case his hana inthe sof the impesonal ors of mature an his nn penta ieee on the one hand and the emote powers the ps on the thee 2