Sophocles, Use of Psychological Terminology

This masterly study examines Sophocles' use of six key psychic terms, analysing how he refers to these terms as sources of thought, emotion, and will. A meticulous synthesis of existing scholarship and philological inquiry, it compares Sophocles' use of language with that of earlier and contemporary poets and with that of Aechylus to determine the extent to which his usage was traditional or new. Sophocles' use of psychological terminology is a vital part of the tragedies. While he uses some terms in traditional ways, he uses others in entirely new contexts and also presents new images of the six psychic entities.