ABSTRACT
Although there is only one surviving example of fourth-century drama, it is clear that in the wake of the stresses leading into the fall of Athens, Greek physis never regains parity in its clash with nomos. In the plays and Presocratic philosophy I discuss, nature has agency as a well respected opponent of the forces of culture. The struggle to defi ne and then to control nature is always in a context of reverence, even fear of its wonders or mysteries that are indefi nable or uncontrollable. I second Plumwood who sees the onesidedness of the dualism hardening with Plato. His idealized dismissal of nature, tempered later by Aristotle’s objectifi cation in pursuit of scientifi c inquiry or mastery, fi ts perfectly with the emerging role of nature in drama as primarily a setting.
