Course Description
Nowadays we think of theatre as an old form of art that is mainly addresses to an elite audience. However, in fifth century Athens tragedy was an art form that probably had not been around for much longer than fifty years, and addressed itself to the great mass of the people. In this course we shall study two plays by each the three great playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Our approach to the plays will be from a number of different perspectives and contexts –mythical, historical, cultural, theatrical, and so on– in order to understand better how they functioned, not only as plays, but also as artifacts of individual artists and their societies.
We will spend two weeks in each play. In the first week the instructor will introduce the play and highlight the issues that are central to its understanding. In the second week, students will be expected to engage in a discussion with each other and the instructor regarding the play, based upon a list of topics and readings that will be supplied in advance. In the week after the second play of each playwright, 3-4 students will make an oral presentation on a topic to be commonly agreed with the instructor.