Harmful Interaction between the Living and the Dead in Greek Tragedy

Fifth-century Greek tragedy contains some of the most fascinating and important stage-ghosts in Western literature, whether the talkative Persian king Darius, who is evoked from the Underworld in Aeschylus’ Persians , or the murdered Trojan prince Polydorus, who seeks burial for his exposed corpse in Euripides’ Hecuba . These manifest figures can tell us a vast amount about the abilities of the tragic dead, particularly in relation to the nature, extent and limitations of their interaction with