Some of the most
powerful tragedies in the history of drama are those which focus on
suffering women. The ancient Greek theater provides many of the most
enduring examples. This course focusses
on a few key female protagonists in dramas mostly from Greek antiquity.
Much class time will be spent watching and reading plays and discussing
their depictions of tragic women.
Week 1 [Sept 1
& 3] Introduction to
Greek Tragedy.
Week 2 [Sept 8 & 10] Antigone (YouTube) The
devoted sister
Week 3 [Sept 15 & 17] Medea The humiliated
wife
Week 4 [Sept 24] Medea
Week 5 [Sept 29 / Oct 1] Phaedra (Euripides 'Hippolytus') (Racine YouTube) The amorous stepmother
Week 6 [Oct 6
& 8] continued
Week 7 [Oct 13 & 15] Shakespeare: King Lear (summary)
Daughters
and sisters, natural and unnatural
Week 8 Mid-term
Exams
Week 9 [Oct 27 &
29] Iphigenia
in Aulis The sacrificed daughter
Week 10 [Nov 3 &
5] Aeschylus
'Agamemnon' (YouTube)
The
unfaithful wife
Week 11 [Nov 10 & 12] Aeschylus 'Coephoroi' (YouTube) The avenging daughter
Week 12 [Nov 17 &
19] Electra (Sophocles)
Week 13 [Nov 24 ] Electra (Euripides)
Week 14 [Dec 1
& 3]
Shakespeare: Macbeth (Summary)
Video
The
ambitious wife
Week 15 [Dec 8 & 10] Iphigenia in Tauris
The
reconciling sister
Week 16 Exams
Textbooks
Assignments
For the Midterm
Evaluation, each student will write a report : "Discuss the ways in
which Justice, blindness, pride and fate are major themes in Antigone,
Medea, Hipploytus and Phedre and analyse the female figures' particular
qualities in each play." (due on the Monday after the
exams in my mailbox in the English Department office).
Each student
will prepare a final report (due on the Monday after the
exams end), comparing the representation and roles of the women in
"Agamemnon" and "The Coephoroi" by Aeschylus, "Antigone" and "Electra"
by Sophocles and ""Medea" and "Electra" by Euripides.
Evaluation
In addition to the above assignments, there will be a midterm and a
final examination. Each exam and report will be of equal importance