Performing Greek Tragedy

This course will examine the cultural and historical context for the performance of tragedy in ancient Athens. To understand this context, we will study and recreate the entire experience of a Greek tragedy including its role in the political and religious life of ancient Athens. This course will involve active participation of all students at various levels. Students will research the specific context for performing Greek tragedy and then determine how to implement this research in a real way. This course will ultimately reproduce an ancient Greek tragedy as well as the civic institutions (the choosing of magistrates, liturgists, and the reenactment of a public festival) that surrounded Greek tragedy. Not all students will be required to act, but all students will be required to actively participate in recreating the tragedy. There will be many roles (non-acting ones as well) for students to help in understanding, organizing and presenting the larger context of tragedy. Students will be try to engage with tragedy in a waythat an ancient Athenian may have (on a political and cultic level) and what it meant for tragedy to be part of the public life of the Athenian community.

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