From its beginnings around 500 BC, tragic and comic drama was central to the democratic culture of ancient Athens, and ancient Greek plays continue to fascinate audiences around the world. In this module, we study drama in its ancient contexts of myth, history, politics, and philosophy, and explore individual plays through subjects such as adaptations of myths and character construction; stagecraft and the extent to which we can reconstruct how the plays were originally performed; their engagement with contemporary politics, intellectual trends, and the poetic tradition.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students will be able to:
show understanding of the place of drama, both tragic and comic, in ancient Athenian society;
conduct research into the context, themes, distinctive theatrical qualities and performance history of individual plays;
evaluate a range of primary sources and scholarship on the subject;
synthesise their research effectively in written form.
Assessment
27279-01 : Practical Drama Piece : Coursework (10%)
27279-03 : 2,500 word commentary : Coursework (55%)
27279-04 : 1,500 word review : Coursework (35%)