#classical receptions

A characteristic traditionally displayed by tragic heroes, to give an example, is Hubris - excessive pride in the face of the gods. This, in the classical world of myriad jealous and interfering deities whose interests often conflict with one another's, can be seen as an admirable, if ill-advised, quality. Pride in a Christian context, however, is the cause behind the original sin, and to display it in the face of God is to commit outrageous blasphemy. The contradictions inherent in the idea of a Christian tragedy are indicative of a greater cultural tension between the established religious order, centred upon faith, and the newly flourishing humanism, largely defined by its revisiting of classical art and philosophy, centred upon knowledge.

Our heroic debate with the Eumenides: a synopsis of the conference