Tragedy in the Age of Oprah : Scarecrow Press : 9780810885080 : 0810885085 : 21 Dec 2012 : In an era of Twitter and televised therapy, it may seem that classic theatre has little place in contemporary society. Accustomed to the indulgences of a celebrity-driven culture, how can modern audiences understand and interpret classic works of drama? In Tragedy in the Age of Oprah: Essays on Five Great Plays, Louis Fantasia provides a provocative examination of the relationship between popular culture and classical tragedy. Making a persuasive argument for the lessons tragedy has to offer today's audiences, Fantasia examines five enduring works of theatre: Euripides'Medea, William Shakespeare's King Lear, Jean Racine's Phèdre, Friedrich Schiller'sMary Stuart, and Eugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey into Night. Fantasia discusses in detail each of these plays, framing them in a contemporary context that explores the suffering, responsibility, and identity that tragedy advocates. Each play is p