| Course Title: Greek Tragedy, American Drama, and Film |
| Start Date: 01/23/2024 End Date: 05/07/2024 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2024 |
| Description: The Greeks, beginning with Homer, saw the world from an essentially tragic perspective. The searing question of why human societies and the human psyche repeatedly break down in tragic ruin and loss, particularly in the conflicts of war and in the betrayal of personal bonds of love and friendship, fascinated them as it still does us. The most consistent themes that emerged from such examination are the tragedy of self-knowledge and illusion, the tragedy of desire, the tragedy of crime and guilt, and tragedy as a protest against social injustice. This course examines the critical influence of the three most important Athenian dramatists, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, on the works of Nobel winner Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and important filmmakers, who have tried to recreate the powerful atmosphere and impact of the Greek tragic theater or reworked the tragic themes of classical myth for their own purposes in the modern age. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities , WI - Writing-Intensive |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Bruce Arnold | 413-538-2872 | barnold@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/23/2024 - 05/07/2024 | Lecture | Tuesday and Thursday | 03:15PM - 04:30PM | SKNR - Skinner Hall | 216 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| ANCST0001 | ANCST: Ancient Studies major | This course has been approved to count towards the Ancient Studies major and/or minor. |
| ANCST0001 | ANCST: Ancient Studies minor | This course has been approved to count towards the Ancient Studies major and/or minor. |
| CLASS0001 | CLAS: Classical Studies major | This course has been approved to count towards the Classical Studies major and/or minor. |
| CLASS0001 | CLAS: Classical Studies minor | This course has been approved to count towards the Classical Studies major and/or minor. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Closed | Capacity: 28 | Enrollment: 28 | Available: 0 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Sophocles, Theban Plays Author: Tr. Meineck & Woodruff, Copyright: 2003 Edition: Volume: ISBN: Publisher: Hackett |
Required | 13.00 |
| Title: Sophocles II Author: Ed. Griffith, Copyright: 2013 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780226311555 Publisher: Univ. of Chicago Press |
Required | 13.00 |
| Title: Aeschylus, Oresteia Author: Tr. Meineck, Copyright: 1998 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780872203907 Publisher: Hackett |
Required | 13.00 |
| Title: Euripides, Ten Plays Author: tr. Roche, Paul Copyright: 1998 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780451527004 Publisher: Signet Classics |
Required | 7.95 |
| Title: Three Plays: Desire Under the Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes Ele Author: Eugene O'Neill, Copyright: 1995 Edition: Volume: ISBN: Publisher: Vintage |
Required | 16.95 |
| Title: A Streetcar Named Desire Author: Williams, Tennessee Copyright: 2004 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780811216029 Publisher: New Directions |
Required | 11.95 |
| Title: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Author: Williams, Tennessee Copyright: 2004 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780811216012 Publisher: New Directions |
Required | 13.95 |
| Title: Death of a Salesman Author: Miller, Copyright: Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780140481341 Publisher: Penguin |
Required | 14.00 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |
| Instructor's comments about the book list: Most all of these books can be purchased as used copies at far lower prices at Amazon or other book sellers. For the Greek plays you are not required to use these translations. |