Sullivan focuses on eight key psychological terms - phr n, thumos, kardia, kear, tor, nous, prapides, and psych - that appear frequently in ancient Greek texts but which have a wide range of possible meanings. Gathering instances from The Persians, Seven against Thebes, Suppliants, Agamemnon, Choephoroi, and Eumenides (instances from Prometheus Bound, whose authorship is in question, are treated in notes and an appendix), Sullivan first examines each psychic term separately. She then discusses instances of the terms in each play, examining the meaning of the psychic term in the context of the...

Psychological and Ethical Ideas studies what Greek poets and philosophers of the Archaic Age of Greece say about certain psychological and ethical ideas. These ideas include "psychological activity," "soul," "excellence," and "justice." These ideas were chosen to show how early Greek individuals think, act, and relate to other people and to their universe. The book first discusses the nature of the literature of the Archaic Age. It then treats in detail what early Greeks say about the four ideas, presenting numerous quotations (all in translation). The book concludes with an overview...