Erika Fischer-Lichte reconstructs the history of European drama from Greek tragedy to Heiner Müller. Each chapter begins with a section on the state of development, situation, and function of theater in the respective society. Following a brief overview, there are exemplary analyses of plays by representative authors. Volume 1, which includes a new introduction, spans from the cult theater of antiquity to the dramatic forms of German classicism; Volume 2 covers the period from Romanticism to contemporary drama.