The birth of tragedy, or Hellenism and pessimism

About this book

Greek tragedy is the subject of Nietzsche’s philosophical account of how Apollonian form and Dionysian music combine in art, for readers interested in classical culture and aesthetics. In Sophocles’ dialogue, clarity gives the heroes an apparently open character, while the myth beneath that surface remains darker. By contrast, music that imitates battle sounds and other visible events seems to Nietzsche to narrow the imagination rather than enlarge it. Looking back on his argument, he regrets mixing the Greek problem with his hopes for modern German music.