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Quinn, Edward. "agon." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=Gfflithem0019>.
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agon

Definition 
A Greek word for struggle or conflict. In classical drama, it denotes the portion of the play, both in tragedy and comedy, in which two characters, each one supported by members of the chorus, engage in heated debate. The agon was a feature of both comedy and tragedy.

The term is generally used in contemporary criticism as a synonym for a competitive struggle, particularly in the criticism of Harold Bloom, who depicts literary history in terms of the conflict between a "strong" poet and a significant predecessor whom the strong poet feels he must, in the reenactment of an Oedipal struggle, displace.

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