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| Overview. |
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Menander
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The
comedians of ancient Athens and Rome were poets of elegance,
anger, obscenity, and morality.
Despite
these often contradictory messages, their plays have
stood the test of time.
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In this course we shall survey
the works of Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus and Terence.
We shall approach the plays from different perspectives and
contexts — historical, cultural, theatrical — in
order to understand how they function as play as well as artifacts
of individual artists and their societies.
In
addition, we shall augment our survey with the testimonies
of a tragedian, Euripides, some of whose plays walk the line
between comedy and tragedy.
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| Objectives. |
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The
specific goals for this course are as follows:
- to
understand the content, form, scope and structure of ancient
comedy;
- to
approach comedy as a vehicle for both narrative and social
commentary;
- to
discern how comedy differs from other genres; and
- to
compare the sensibilities of ancient and modern audiences.
Furthermore,
students will draw upon universal skills of critical reading
and thinking, and will communicate these skills in class,
in performance, and in written exercises.
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