The Birth of Tragedy; or, Hellenism and Pessimism - Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche explores the origins of Greek tragedy as a fusion of two artistic forces—the rational Apollonian and the passionate Dionysian. He argues that true art arises from the balance between order and chaos, reason and ecstasy. Tracing the decline of this harmony in Western culture, he laments the dominance of rationality over instinct. The work stands as both a critique of modern thought and a call to rediscover the creative power of tragedy and myth.