Middlebury

LITS0152B-S23

Greek Tragedy
Please register via CLAS 0152B

Greek Tragedy
A survey of selected tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, exploring the relation between tragedy and political freedom and empire in fifth century B.C. Athens. The course examines the tragic poets' use of traditional Greek myths to question not only the wisdom of contemporary Athenian imperialism but also traditional Greek views on relations between the sexes; between the family and the city; between man's presumed dignity and his belief in gods. Mythical and historical background is supplied through additional readings from Homer and Thucydides. The course asks how the tragedians managed to raise publicly, in the most solemn religious settings, the kind of questions for which Socrates was later put to death. The course culminates in a reading of Aristotle's Poetics. 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
22620
Subject Code:
LITS
Course Number:
0152
Section Identifier:
B

Course

LITS 0152

All Sections in Spring 2023

Spring 2023

LITS0152A-S23 Lecture (Witkin)
LITS0152B-S23 Lecture (Witkin)
LITS0152X-S23 Discussion (Witkin)
LITS0152Y-S23 Discussion (Witkin)
LITS0152Z-S23 Discussion (Witkin)