Greek Tragedies, Old And New

Using the term "Greek tragedy" as her muse, Geena Paul discusses tragedies old and new. The new one, of course, is the Grecian government's worsening woes in matters fiscal.


The standard template for the ancient Greek tragedies is a hero with a tragic flaw falling into the grips of hybris, or arrogance. The resultant overestimation of self leads to nemesis, or a mocked Fate dishing out a downfall - typically, through the tragic flaw.

If this template fits the current Grecian government, then its officials' [and/or the electorates'] hybris is one that's, er, shared by many in all developed economies. Governments are better than financial realities: that's the tragic flaw. The hybris consists of believing that there's a higher reality where homely bean-counting doesn't matter, as there's always a fix that the old-style calculator-thumpers just can't see. As far as the identity of the nemesis, the term "bond vigilantes" will do.