Bloomsbury The Politics of Youth in Greek Tragedy: Gangs of Athens

Euripides Bacchae was first performed in 405 BCE, on the eve of Athens defeat in the Peloponnesian War. This explosive and heart-rending dramatization of an ancient myth uses the character of a young king to explore how destructive aspects of youth can contribute towards the collapse of a society. Throughout the fifth century, young people appear prominently in our surviving tragedies, with their role in society regularly put under the spotlight on the tragic stage. And as the success of Athens rose and then fell, young characters are repeatedly used by tragic playwrights as a way to explore political tensions and social upheaval in the city. This analysis of politics and youth in tragedy explores how tragic drama reflects fluctuating attitudes towards young people at a highly turbulent time in the history of Athens. Focusing on famous plays, such as Antigone and Bacchae, alongside lesser known tragedies such as Heraclidae and Orestes, compelling evidence is presented to show that the complex and often paradoxical views we hold about youth today can also be found in the ancient society of classical Athens. Throughout, characteristics that are today often associated with the most negative conceptualisation of youth group identity, the gang, are uncovered in the ancient world.