Polis, Nihilism, and the Fate of Tragedy: An Analytical Study of the Works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

Abstract

Greek tragedy, as the most significant literary-dramatic form of ancient Greece, emerged from the lived experiences of citizens within the polis-centered Greek civilization and, at the same time, was theoretically and ideologically rooted in cosmos-centric nihilism. This influence persisted throughout the history of ancient Greece and remains evident. In fact, it can be argued that since the polis, as a particular social and political structure, played a fundamental role in Greek civilization, it also had crucial importance in the formation and development of tragedy. On the other hand, cosmos-centric nihilism also depicted in tragedy the crisis of meaning, determinism, and the human condition of helplessness against the forces of nature, the gods, and a blind fate. The analysis of the works of the three great tragedians of Greece demonstrates that the Greek way of thinking, their interpretation of humanity and the origin of the cosmos, and the prevailing worldview of cosmos-centrism had a profound impact on the emergence and evolution of tragedy. In this context, the heroes of tragedy wander between law and morality, the individual and the collective, will and determinism, and the quest for meaning versus the experience of meaninglessness. This study examines the simultaneous influence of two foundational factors—the socio-political structure of the polis and cosmos-centric nihilism—on the formation and development of Greek tragedy, with emphasis on the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach and a comparative study of classical texts and contemporary sources, this research clarifies and interprets the impact of the polis and the nihilistic and cosmos-centered thought of the Greeks on tragedy. The findings of this study reveal that Greek tragedy reflects the belief that the destiny of humanity is deeply intertwined with the cosmos and its political manifestation, namely the polis. This worldview also illustrates the tension between human agency and the blind predetermined fate under the will of the gods, while representing the fundamental ontological, moral, and political crises arising from this tension.