CLAS 339 Tragedy: Ancient and Modern

Classics

18 points

Tragedy: Ancient and Modern will introduce students to the origins and conceptual

foundations of Greek and Roman tragedy, and their relevance to modern theatre and cultural

practice. The means to this end is to examine three prominent tragic themes (Oedipus,

Phaedra and Dionysus) in the plays of Sophocles and Euripides (Oedipus the King,

Hippolytus & Bacchae) and their Senecan versions in the light of the epistemology that

underlies their theatrical form and social and religious significance. The same three themes,

as expressed by three twentieth-century playwrights (Wole Soyinka, Tony Harrison, Ted

Hughes) will then be examined to reveal fundamental continuities and differences between

ancient and modern understanding and perception. A particular focus will be on the

importance of classical themes to contemporary post-modern and post-colonial values.

Prerequisite

18 200-level points in CLAS, GREK, LATN, or Head of Department approval

Restriction

CLAS 239

Open for Interest Only enrolment – lectures and tutorials (with Head of Department

permission)

Time commitment

Lectures Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu: 1100-1150 – QUAD5

Seminar Fri: 1000-1150 – QUAD5

Lecturer

Dr Harry Love (course coordinator)

Prescribed textbook

Love, H.W. (trans), Three Greek Tragedies: Sophocles, Oedipus the King; Euripides,

Bacchae, available from Uniprint.

Seneca L.A., Four Tragedies and Octavia, Penguin.

Soyinka, W., Bacchae of Euripides, a Communion Rite, Norton.

A course reader will be held on Close Reserve at the Central Library and also be sold by the

Uniprint Shop

Assessment

Essay (3500 words) 40%

Final examination (3 hours) 60%

Fees

Domestic (including Interest Only) $749.70, International $3150.00, Study

Abroad $2925.00.

Each student studying on campus incurs an additional Student Services fee of

$112.

To receive the Otago Summer School Prospectus and Registration Form go to: www.otago.ac.nz/summerschool or contact Summer School and Continuing Education email summer.school@otago.ac.nz or tel 03 479 9181INFORMATION LINE 0800 80 80 98

Otago Summer School 07 January – 21 February 2013

CLAS339

Tragedy: Ancient and Modern

2O13

From Sophocles to Ted Hughes