Department of English

This course explores the earliest phases of the western dramatic tradition as we know it from Greek and Roman tragedy and comedy, and traces its influence on subsequent drama up through the Renaissance. Readings will include both well-established classics and lesser known, but equally powerful, works from such authors as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plautus and Seneca. In addition to reading the plays themselves, students will gain insight into the reception of dramatic performances in the ancient world. Individual authors and works will be presented within their historical contexts and we will attend to matters such as staging of drama, the evolution of theatrical performance, and interpretation of ancient drama as social and/or political commentary.