The main focus of early Nietzsche's reflection, as revealed in his major works of this period, is ancient Greek tragedy. In light of Schopenhauer's metaphysics and aesthetics, Nietzsche examines the rise and fall of the "ancient musical drama" as a decisive chapter in the history of Western civilization. According to the philosopher, Attic tragedy constituted a complete work of art, a synthesis of poetry, plastic arts, dance, and music, born from the fusion of two distinct elements, the "Apollonian" and the "Dionysian". However, this supreme achievement of Greek spirit was undermined by Socratic rationalism and the Socratic aesthetic of Euripides, leading to its demise.

The three texts included in this edition ("The Greek Musical Drama," "Socrates and Tragedy," and "The Dionysian Worldview") serve as the main evidence of Nietzsche's intensive reflection on tragedy, which was ultimately presented as a whole in "The Birth of Tragedy," the philosopher's major work of his early period. However, they are not simply preparatory works for this book, as they develop ideas that are either presented in a different light or completely absent in it. Indeed, a connoisseur of Nietzsche's philosophy will have no difficulty in identifying elements in these three texts that permeate the philosopher's later reflection, often reformulated and reinterpreted.