Tag: Sophocles

Topics

Books

Aeschylus’ Suppliant Maidens and Persians

– Aeschylus' Suppliant Maidens and Persians, Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
From the publisher: Aeschylus I contains “The Persians,” translated by Seth Benardete; “The Seven Against Thebes,” translated by David Grene; “The Suppliant Maidens,”… More

Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus

– "Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." in Ancients and Moderns, 1-15, New York, Basic Books, 1964. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “The crippled Oedipus, we must imagine, appears before the Thebans leaning on a staff, a staff that indicates as much his present authority as the use he once made of it to… More

A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– "A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone, In Three Parts: Interpretation 4, No. 3 (Spring 1975): 148-196; 5, no. 1 (Summer 1975): 1-55; 5, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 148-184. Reprinted as Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. 1999.
Excerpt: “Antigone meets Ismene outside the gates of the royal palace. She usurps for the planning of her crime the place Creon had designated for his own meeting with the elders. As… More

On Greek Tragedy

– "On Greek Tragedy," in The Great Ideas Today, 102-143. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1980. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Of all literary forms, tragedy and comedy alone seem to make a natural pair. They are natural in that they designate something not merely in letters but in life, and they are a… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 1999.
From the publisher: This detailed commentary on the action and argument of Sophocles’ Antigone is meant to be a reflection on and response to Hegel’s interpretation in… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of the Philoctetes

– "The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of Philoctetes," Epoche 7, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 133-150. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Odysseus is the Cinna of tragedy, with a “head to contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute any mischief” In Philoctetes Odysseus presents himself as… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

Essays

Aeschylus’ Suppliant Maidens and Persians

– Aeschylus' Suppliant Maidens and Persians, Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
From the publisher: Aeschylus I contains “The Persians,” translated by Seth Benardete; “The Seven Against Thebes,” translated by David Grene; “The Suppliant Maidens,”… More

Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus

– "Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." in Ancients and Moderns, 1-15, New York, Basic Books, 1964. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “The crippled Oedipus, we must imagine, appears before the Thebans leaning on a staff, a staff that indicates as much his present authority as the use he once made of it to… More

A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– "A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone, In Three Parts: Interpretation 4, No. 3 (Spring 1975): 148-196; 5, no. 1 (Summer 1975): 1-55; 5, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 148-184. Reprinted as Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. 1999.
Excerpt: “Antigone meets Ismene outside the gates of the royal palace. She usurps for the planning of her crime the place Creon had designated for his own meeting with the elders. As… More

On Greek Tragedy

– "On Greek Tragedy," in The Great Ideas Today, 102-143. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1980. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Of all literary forms, tragedy and comedy alone seem to make a natural pair. They are natural in that they designate something not merely in letters but in life, and they are a… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 1999.
From the publisher: This detailed commentary on the action and argument of Sophocles’ Antigone is meant to be a reflection on and response to Hegel’s interpretation in… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of the Philoctetes

– "The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of Philoctetes," Epoche 7, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 133-150. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Odysseus is the Cinna of tragedy, with a “head to contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute any mischief” In Philoctetes Odysseus presents himself as… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

Commentary

Aeschylus’ Suppliant Maidens and Persians

– Aeschylus' Suppliant Maidens and Persians, Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
From the publisher: Aeschylus I contains “The Persians,” translated by Seth Benardete; “The Seven Against Thebes,” translated by David Grene; “The Suppliant Maidens,”… More

Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus

– "Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." in Ancients and Moderns, 1-15, New York, Basic Books, 1964. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “The crippled Oedipus, we must imagine, appears before the Thebans leaning on a staff, a staff that indicates as much his present authority as the use he once made of it to… More

A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– "A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone, In Three Parts: Interpretation 4, No. 3 (Spring 1975): 148-196; 5, no. 1 (Summer 1975): 1-55; 5, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 148-184. Reprinted as Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. 1999.
Excerpt: “Antigone meets Ismene outside the gates of the royal palace. She usurps for the planning of her crime the place Creon had designated for his own meeting with the elders. As… More

On Greek Tragedy

– "On Greek Tragedy," in The Great Ideas Today, 102-143. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1980. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Of all literary forms, tragedy and comedy alone seem to make a natural pair. They are natural in that they designate something not merely in letters but in life, and they are a… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 1999.
From the publisher: This detailed commentary on the action and argument of Sophocles’ Antigone is meant to be a reflection on and response to Hegel’s interpretation in… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of the Philoctetes

– "The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of Philoctetes," Epoche 7, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 133-150. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Odysseus is the Cinna of tragedy, with a “head to contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute any mischief” In Philoctetes Odysseus presents himself as… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

Multimedia

Aeschylus’ Suppliant Maidens and Persians

– Aeschylus' Suppliant Maidens and Persians, Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
From the publisher: Aeschylus I contains “The Persians,” translated by Seth Benardete; “The Seven Against Thebes,” translated by David Grene; “The Suppliant Maidens,”… More

Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus

– "Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." in Ancients and Moderns, 1-15, New York, Basic Books, 1964. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “The crippled Oedipus, we must imagine, appears before the Thebans leaning on a staff, a staff that indicates as much his present authority as the use he once made of it to… More

A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– "A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone, In Three Parts: Interpretation 4, No. 3 (Spring 1975): 148-196; 5, no. 1 (Summer 1975): 1-55; 5, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 148-184. Reprinted as Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. 1999.
Excerpt: “Antigone meets Ismene outside the gates of the royal palace. She usurps for the planning of her crime the place Creon had designated for his own meeting with the elders. As… More

On Greek Tragedy

– "On Greek Tragedy," in The Great Ideas Today, 102-143. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1980. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Of all literary forms, tragedy and comedy alone seem to make a natural pair. They are natural in that they designate something not merely in letters but in life, and they are a… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 1999.
From the publisher: This detailed commentary on the action and argument of Sophocles’ Antigone is meant to be a reflection on and response to Hegel’s interpretation in… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of the Philoctetes

– "The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of Philoctetes," Epoche 7, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 133-150. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Odysseus is the Cinna of tragedy, with a “head to contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute any mischief” In Philoctetes Odysseus presents himself as… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

Teaching

Aeschylus’ Suppliant Maidens and Persians

– Aeschylus' Suppliant Maidens and Persians, Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
From the publisher: Aeschylus I contains “The Persians,” translated by Seth Benardete; “The Seven Against Thebes,” translated by David Grene; “The Suppliant Maidens,”… More

Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus

– "Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." in Ancients and Moderns, 1-15, New York, Basic Books, 1964. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “The crippled Oedipus, we must imagine, appears before the Thebans leaning on a staff, a staff that indicates as much his present authority as the use he once made of it to… More

A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– "A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone, In Three Parts: Interpretation 4, No. 3 (Spring 1975): 148-196; 5, no. 1 (Summer 1975): 1-55; 5, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 148-184. Reprinted as Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. 1999.
Excerpt: “Antigone meets Ismene outside the gates of the royal palace. She usurps for the planning of her crime the place Creon had designated for his own meeting with the elders. As… More

On Greek Tragedy

– "On Greek Tragedy," in The Great Ideas Today, 102-143. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1980. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Of all literary forms, tragedy and comedy alone seem to make a natural pair. They are natural in that they designate something not merely in letters but in life, and they are a… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles’ Antigone

– Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. South Bend: St. Augustine's Press, 1999.
From the publisher: This detailed commentary on the action and argument of Sophocles’ Antigone is meant to be a reflection on and response to Hegel’s interpretation in… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of the Philoctetes

– "The Plan of Odysseus and the Plot of Philoctetes," Epoche 7, no. 2 (Spring 2003): 133-150. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Odysseus is the Cinna of tragedy, with a “head to contrive, and a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute any mischief” In Philoctetes Odysseus presents himself as… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.