The ancient Greek tragedy has always had an extraordinarily significant impact as a creative medium: many of the works that have survived continue to be part of the theatrical repertoire, and texts such as "Agamemnon," "Antigone," and "Medea" have profoundly influenced Western civilization.

This Guide is not a conventional introductory manual but an attempt by seven distinguished scholars to present the entirety of the texts we know, within the context of readings, theatrical criticism, and performances of ancient Greek tragedies in modern times.

The book highlights three main axes: tragedy as an institution in the lives of the citizens of ancient Athens, a series of different theoretical interpretations based on new readings of the texts, and finally, the changes that appear in the typical forms of reception, adaptation, and performance of tragedy from antiquity to the present day.

Each chapter can be read independently from the others; however, it is connected in many ways to the others, and most examples used come from the same set of selected works.