GREA LIAN 321 - Ancient Greek Drama in Translation

Institution:

Arcadia University

Subject:

Description:

This course will study one of the most fertile mythical traditions of Greek literature, that of the city of Thebes and the famous expedition of Polyneices and the Argives against his brother Eteocles and the Thebans. Our focus will be Greek tragedy and we will use the two texts that deal with this expedition, i.e. Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus and Phoenician Women by Euripides, as the basis for our discussion. Chief topics will be: the myth of Oedipus and his exile, the strife of his two sons (Polyneices and Eteocles), the expedition of Polyneices against his own city, and of course the female figures of the family, such as Jocasta, Antigone and Ismene. These main themes will be examined not only as parts of the Seven Against Thebes and the Phoenician Women, but also intertextually, with reference to other relevant plays of the Theban Cycle, that is Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles. The course objectives are: 1) General knowledge of the history of Greek drama and its basic characteristics; 2) Specific knowledge of the mythical tradition of the city of Thebes and Oedipus' royal house; 3) Broad understanding of the role of the mythical tradition as a 'mega-text', an endless 'plot-bank' that can provide the playwrights with innumerous plots; 4) Guided experience in the reading and interpretations of Greek drama, the five 'Theban' plays in specific; 5) Familiarity and productive use of modern critical tools such as narratology and intertextuality, traditionally employed in modern texts, but nowadays also applied effectively in ancient literature. (Athens, Greece, http://www.arcadiacenter.edu.gr/)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.arcadia.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 572-2900

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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