Outline: The module will provide an introduction to Greek tragedy through the close study of the three plays of Aeschylus’ trilogy, The Oresteia, the earliest undisputed masterpiece of European drama. Topics covered will include the physical structure and stage conventions of the Greek theatre, and Aeschylus’ use of these resources; the dramatic and narrative structure of the three plays, and of the trilogy as a whole; the trilogy’s relationship to earlier Greek literary traditions; the implications of the religious and moral ideas which underlie the trilogy; the relevance of the contemporary social and political context to the interpretation of the trilogy.
The text required is Aeschylus The Oresteia in the translation Richmond Lattimore, in D. Grene and R. Lattimore (ed.) The Complete Greek Tragedies: Aeschylus I (Chicago 1953). It is essential that you read each play carefully before the relevant lectures.
There will be 10 lectures: Friday 10.00pm. The plan for the lectures is as follows:
Lecture 1: Introduction (i) the theatre
Lecture 2: Introduction (ii) performers, audience, context
Lectures 3-5: Agamemnon
Lecture 6: Introduction (iii): tradition and trilogy
Lectures 7-8: Libation Bearers
Lectures 9-10: Eumenides
There will be two seminars:
Week 6: Agamemnon's homecoming
Week 8: Did Clytaemnestra deserve to die? Should Orestes have killed her?
It is essential that you prepare carefully for each seminar, and come ready to contribute to the discussion. Guidance notes on preparing for the seminars will be circulated in advance at lectures.
Seminar times will be posted on the first-year notice board in the School of Classics (outside the departmental library, Parkinson 116). If a timetable clash makes it impossible for you to attend the seminar you have been allocated to, please arrange a change of group through the departmental office (Parkinson 121).
Supporting material: Copies of the lecture handouts and the seminar preparation sheets can be found in the pigeon-holes outside the department’s Resources Room (Parkinson 236).
Lecture handouts and the seminar preparation sheets will be made available on-line in the Nathan Bodington Building.
Some of the lectures are accompanied by visual presentations. These will also be available on-line, with some additional notes, in the Nathan Bodington Building. Note that they will not be accessible to anonymous users (i.e. you will need to log in using your user ID to view these presentations).
Assessment:
(i) An essay of not more than 1500 words to be submitted to the School of Classics office (Parkinson 121) not later than 4.00pm on Monday 8 May 2006 (40%), on one of the following topics:
1. Select two scenes (from different plays) to illustrate Aeschylus’ use of the physical resources of the Greek theatre in the Oresteia.
2. What does Aeschylus gain by including the Cassandra scene in the Agamemnon?
3. By the end of Eumenides a court has acquitted Orestes, and the Furies have been appeased. Does this mean that the nature of justice changed?
4. In the Oresteia we learn much about the past. How does this affect our understanding of what happens in the trilogy?
Your essay must conform to the department’s guidelines on the presentation of essays, including the rules on referencing and bibliographies. Guidelines and advice on writing essays can be found in the School of Classics Handbook (available on-line at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/undergr/).
(ii) A 1-hour written examination containing passages for comment at the end of the semester (60%). You will be asked to choose three passages (out of five); you should briefly explain the passage’s context (identifying the speaker, where that is not stated) and content, commenting on features of literary and dramatic interest. There will be a voluntary workshop to prepare for the exam in week 11 (Friday 5 May).
Advice on answering comment questions in the exam can be found in the School of Classics Handbook (available on-line at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/undergr/).