'Emperor Michae'l belongs to the 'Byzantine tragedies' of Angelos Terzakis. It refers to the story of Michael the IV the Paphlagonian, who reigned from 1034 until 1041. Handsome, young, but at the same time frail, he came to power when Zoe the Porphyrogenniti, daughter of Constantine VIII and former wife of Romanus Argyrus. The writer thinks of Michael as 'a hero of torture'. Emperor at difficult times, obscure heir of a series of emperors of the byzantine epopee, he became a martyr of the state's decline as well as its own. Full of anxiety, he lives in a mood of continuous doubt, melancholy and repentance and he becomes secluded little by little, leaving the power to the others. However, when required by historical circumstances and the enemy threatens Constantinople and Thessaloniki, he stands up to defend them and becomes again the able warrior. In a continuous conflict with his own self, and fighting to save his soul, Michael will finally find salvation in his deep faith in christian religion, choosing the life of a monk. Terzakis, in this pioneer play of his, which was characterized by the critics as 'the most thorough attempt of a historical tragedy', emits the atmosphere of the life in Byzantine times, the emperial court and the army. The scheming, mysticism and corruption prevailing in a country which heads for disaster.