Acting Out: a preliminary exploration of the ethical implications of using ancient Greek Tragedy as a means of Psychotherapy

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the ethical issues which arise with the employment of the performance or viewing of drama as a therapeutic process for ‘mental illness’. Looking into two case studies, this piece concentrates on the use of drama therapy along an axis of risk which balances patient safety and potential benefits. As this is a vast area of practice, this paper chooses to focus on the performance and viewing of Greek tragedy as a ‘complementary therapy’. In the public and academic psyche, Greek tragedy has held a prominent place in artistic explorations of ‘mental ill-health’ and thus it is unsurprising that it has been a point of origin for drama therapy. Reviewing the content of the plays, the settings of their modern performances, and the ‘ideology’ behind such performances will enable this paper to highlight some of the greater issues concerning the ethical implications of these examples of drama therapy. Citing performances from the 1950s to the present day, we will explore the competing risks to individuals that come with using ancient Greek drama as a potential means of therapy.

Keywords

• psychotherapy
• greek tragedy
• classical reception
• dramatherapy.