This course presents a (necessarily partial) survey of the origin of ancient Greek tragedy in dithyrambic poetry and the cult of Dionysos, and its development into a distinct art form through the plays of the three canonical Athenian tragedians: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The bulk of the course, however, will be devoted to reading and analyzing four plays in English translation and thinking critically about the themes raised by these texts. One of the reasons Greek tragedy continues to be performed today is that it addresses perennial moral problems in human life: Is revenge ever justified? To whom do we owe our allegiance, family or state? How do we treat the marginalized members of our community? Should we put limits on religious expression if it threatens the safety of our society? Over the course of this class, we will engage with four plays—the Agamemnon by Aeschylus, the Antigone and Philoctetes by Sophocles, and the Bacchae by Euripides—and attempt to come to terms with these questions.
In addition, we will be actively collaborating with participants in Dr. Harris’s Dramaturgy course in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the stagecraft of ancient Greek tragedy. These plays contain many scenes whose staging has perplexed commentators over the years—the purple carpet in the Agamemnon; the earthquake in the Bacchae. Over the course of the semester, we are planning on visiting the Centennial Theatre on campus and attempting to recreate these scenes. We will occasionally also visit with Dr. Harris’ class to gain a deeper appreciation for the field of dramaturgy and its implications for ancient Greek tragedy. Therefore, you may be sometimes assigned readings from Dr. Harris’ course, and a portion of your participation grade in this course may be based on your engagement with your peers from Dr. Harris’ course. There is the possibility that we will be able to work together to contribute to the production of an ancient Greek tragedy that will be staged and performed by the Bishop’s Drama department during the Winter semester. Ultimately, the exact shape this collaboration will take remains to be seen. We ask that you be patient and flexible with potential changes to the syllabus throughout the semester. In turn, we will do our best to be accommodating and ensure that you are able to succeed in this course.
In addition, we will be actively collaborating with participants in Dr. Harris’s Dramaturgy course in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the stagecraft of ancient Greek tragedy. These plays contain many scenes whose staging has perplexed commentators over the years—the purple carpet in the Agamemnon; the earthquake in the Bacchae. Over the course of the semester, we are planning on visiting the Centennial Theatre on campus and attempting to recreate these scenes. We will occasionally also visit with Dr. Harris’ class to gain a deeper appreciation for the field of dramaturgy and its implications for ancient Greek tragedy. Therefore, you may be sometimes assigned readings from Dr. Harris’ course, and a portion of your participation grade in this course may be based on your engagement with your peers from Dr. Harris’ course. There is the possibility that we will be able to work together to contribute to the production of an ancient Greek tragedy that will be staged and performed by the Bishop’s Drama department during the Winter semester. Ultimately, the exact shape this collaboration will take remains to be seen. We ask that you be patient and flexible with potential changes to the syllabus throughout the semester. In turn, we will do our best to be accommodating and ensure that you are able to succeed in this course.