The Birth of Tragedy

What it is

The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music is an 1872 work of dramatic theory by Friedrich Nietzsche, written while he was a young philologist at Basel. It was reissued in 1886 with a new preface in which Nietzsche criticised his earlier self.

Why it matters

This was Nietzsche's first book, written under the strong influence of the composer Richard Wagner, whose music Nietzsche hoped could revive the balance of 'Dionysian' and 'Apollonian' forces he found in ancient Greek tragedy. The book shows Nietzsche questioning the traditional Enlightenment view of the Greeks as calm and rational, arguing instead that their culture grappled with deep pessimism. It marks the beginning of his lifelong interest in art, suffering and meaning.

Look closer

• Why might Nietzsche, trained as a philologist, have chosen to write about music and tragedy rather than strict classical scholarship?
• What does his later self-criticism of this book suggest about how his ideas changed over time?
• How does his admiration for Wagner shape the argument of the book?