The Birth of Tragedy

Euripides brought about a turning point in Greek tragedy. Among his reforms were a deemphasis on the chorus and the use of rational argument in the dialog. These changes, according to Nietzsche, signal the influence of Socratic philosophy and, thus, the triumph of optimistic and rational Apolline values, which emphasize “morality and philosophy” and “redemption through illusion” over tragic Dionysiac ones. Euripides “brought the spectator on to the stage” (57), portraying commonplace characters in his plays and fostering a more democratic spirit. In a sense, Euripides wrote tragedies for people who did not like or understand tragedy (the “second spectator”), and Nietzsche believes that his plays mark the loss of the traditional Greek tragic spirit. The growth of the New Comedy during the Attic period of Greek literature signals tragedy’s loss of status.

With the decay of authentic tragedy, a mood of complacent “cheerfulness” entered Greek culture, which later eras would mistake for the true spirit of ancient Greece. This cheerfulness was in fact a mask to cover the tragic realities which the Greek people no longer wanted to face.

Euripides’s reforms of drama were influenced by his contemporary, the philosopher Socrates. Socrates was critical of tragedy and of art in general because, in his view, it is irrational and artificial, failing to “tell what’s true” (68).