The way to happiness - a search for eudaimonia in Attic tragedy

Prof. Georgios Spiliotopoulos
Lecturer, Columbia University

In person at the CUNY Graduate Center, Room 7395
Or via Zoom
Please RSVP: rkousser@gc.cuny.edu

Happiness in life can often be achieved by reverse-engineering the causes of misfortune. Greek tragedy teaches us that human happiness is vulnerable to uncontrollable events and culpable mistakes alike: the inescapable net of circumstances outside one’s control is equally decisive with human passions and ignorance. In the words of Thucydides (2.87.3), “we must believe that men may fail as the result of fortune, while remaining steadfastly brave in their purpose”. In tragedy, as in life, there seems to be a key transitional moment that initiates the abrupt downfall not only of humans and heroes, but also of empires and prominent regional hegemonies. Despite extensive scholarly analysis of this process from Homer to Attic tragedy, no organized attempt has been made to address the notion of happiness and the circumstances that define it in Greek tragedy. Focusing on the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides along with their preserved fragments, my research investigates key terms such as olbos, eutychia, eudaimonia, along with the complex conceptualizations of happiness and resilience within the framework of Greek drama. In a modern post-pandemic world facing renewed existential questions, we frequently find ourselves approaching “happiness” solely as pleasure, comfort, or increase in life satisfaction by consumerism. But Attic tragedy offers a crucial reminder to look deeper into human nature: “Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness”, as Sophocles suggests in Antigone.