Books from Greece

Oedipus Rex chronicles the story of Oedipus, a man that becomes the king of Thebes and was always destined from birth to murder his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. The play is an example of a classic tragedy, noticeably containing an emphasis on how Oedipus's own faults contribute to the tragic hero's downfall, as opposed to having fate be the sole cause. Over the centuries, Oedipus Rex has come to be regarded by many as the Greek tragedy par excellence.

• tragic hero
• betrayal

Written around 375 BCE, Plato's Republic is one of the founding texts of Western philosophy: a wide-ranging Socratic dialogue that begins with a deceptively simple question — what is justice? — and expands into an inquiry touching almost every branch of philosophy. To examine justice in the individual soul, Socrates and his interlocutors construct an imaginary ideal city, the Kallipolis, and in doing so consider education, politics, art, gender, family, and the nature of knowledge itself. Along the way the dialogue develops some of the most influential ideas in intellectual history: the tripartite division of the soul, the theory of the Forms, the notorious proposal that philosophers should rule as kings, and the Allegory of the Cave — Plato's image of prisoners mistaking shadows for reality, and of the painful ascent toward true understanding. At once a work of political theory, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology, The Republic has been argued with, taught, and reinterpreted for nearly two and a half thousand years. It remains a demanding but foundational encounter with the questions of how we should live and how a society should be ordered.

This collection features four essential dialogues from Plato, offering a direct look into the final days and trial of the philosopher Socrates. Witness Socrates defend his life and teachings through his own words and the accounts of his devoted student. These texts are a cornerstone of Western thought, exploring justice, virtue, and the nature of the soul.

• mentor figure

An intellectual young writer travels to Crete, seeking to escape his books and find a new path. There, he encounters the enigmatic Alexis Zorba, a larger-than-life character who embodies a zest for living. Through a series of adventures and profound conversations, Zorba challenges the narrator's worldview, teaching him to embrace life's joys and sorrows to their fullest.

• mentor figure
• quest

The inhabitants of a Greek village, ruled by the Turks, plan to enact the life of Christ in a mystery play but are overwhelmed by their task. A group of refugees, fleeing from the ruins of their plundered homes, arrive asking for protection - and suddenly the drama of the Passion becomes reality.

Sophocles' timeless play, Antigone, explores profound questions about human conflict, the influence of the divine, and the extent to which individuals shape their own fate. This new translation aims to be both true to the original Greek text and compelling in its poetic expression. It continues to resonate as a foundational work in Western thought on tragedy and moral dilemmas.

• sacrifice
• betrayal
• family saga

This ancient Greek tragedy by Aeschylus tells the story of Agamemnon, King of Argos, and his return from the Trojan War. His wife, Clytemnestra, has been waiting for him, but her welcome is far from warm. The play explores themes of justice, vengeance, and the cycle of violence that plagues the House of Atreus.

• revenge
• betrayal
• sacrifice

This slipcased edition brings together two monumental works that explore the myth of Prometheus. Aeschylus's ancient Greek tragedy, 'Prometheus Bound,' depicts the titan's punishment for gifting fire to humanity. Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Prometheus Unbound,' a lyrical drama, reimagines the myth with a focus on liberation and the triumph of the human spirit over tyranny.

• sacrifice
• betrayal

Aristotle's foundational treatise on virtue ethics: defining eudaimonia (flourishing) through habituated virtuous action, moderation (the golden mean), and the role of practical wisdom (phronesis). It is a work of ancient Greek philosophy, not fiction or narrative, so no tropes apply; it contains no plot to warrant content warnings.