Ancient Greek Authors and Playwrights

List of ancient Greek playwrights:

Tragedies / Comedies

Of the playwrights who wrote for the theatre of ancient Greece, not all of them are known today. 

Most of what we know about Greek tragedy is taken from the plays of the three major playwrights of the time. All of the major Greek tragedies that are studied in high schools and colleges worldwide were written by either Sophocles, Aeschylus, or Euripides. While the works of these men is great, it should be noted that theirs are the only surviving plays from this century. Many playwrights made contributions during this era, but only the works of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides remain. This is most likely due to their popularity during their time and beyond. Thus, we can safely assume that their masterpieces were treasured not only by us, but also by their contemporaries.

This study guide will focus heavily on the plays of these great dramatists. As with any playwright, a good way to understand the writer is to study his or her work. I encourage you to rea

d any of these great plays as the plays themselves give the best understanding of the Greek tragedy.