"The messenger who reports important action that has occurred offstage is a familiar inhabitant of Greek tragedy. A messenger informs us about the death of Jocasta and the blinding of Oedipus, the madness of Heracles, the slaughter of Aigisthus, and the death of Hippolytus, among other important events. Despite its prevalence, this conventional figure remains little understood.

Combining several critical approaches - narrative theory, genre study, and rhetorical analysis - this lucid and sophisticated study develops a synthetic view of the messenger of Greek tragedy, showing how this role illuminates some of the genre's most persistent concerns, especially those relating to language, knowledge, and the workings of tragic theater itself.".

"This study, thoroughly informed by literary theory, shows that the messenger speaks with a voice unique on the tragic stage, one that offers important testimony about tragedy as a genre and one that also illuminates fifth-century B.C.E. experimentation with modes of speech. Breaking new ground in the study of Athenian tragedy, Barrett deepens our understanding of many central texts and of a form of theater that highlights the fragility and limits of human knowledge."--BOOK JACKET.