CL2301 Athenian Drama
This module provides an introduction to Classical Athenian drama. You will study plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander in English, as well as other relevant texts, such as Aristotle’s Poetics. Discussion topics include the divine, fate and responsibility; the origins of drama; Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy; performance aspects; the function of drama in the context of religious festivals and the democratic city-state; drama as source of historical and cultural information.
- Module Organiser:
- Dr Martine Cuypers
- Duration:
- One term (Jan-Apr)
- Contact Hours:
- 19 (16 lectures and 3 seminars)
- Weighting:
- 5 ECTS
- Assessment:
- 100% coursework (one written assignment, one other exercise)
Prescribed Texts
This module covers a broad range of primary texts. Texts to be studied and translations to be used are specified in the module handbook.
Introductory Reading
- Storey, I.C. and Allan, A. A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama, 2nd edition (Blackwell 2014).
- Scodel, R., An Introduction to Greek Tragedy (Cambridge 2010).
- Sommerstein, A.H. Greek Drama and Dramatists (Routledge 2002)
- Gregory, Justina (ed.). A Companion to Greek Tragedy (Blackwell 2005)
- Fontaine, Michael and Adele C. Scafuro (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy (New York and Oxford 2014)
Learning Outcomes
On successful conclusion of this module, students should be able to:
- critically discuss the content and major themes of the prescribed texts
- analyse key extracts from and aspects of the prescribed texts
- situate the texts in their historical and performance contexts and comment on the relevance of these contexts for their interpretation
- outline the origins and history of Athenian tragedy and comedy as genres and their reception from antiquity to the present