Drama and Democracy UHC
397 Colloquium
Spring 2018
Edwin Carawan, Siceluff
115 — Office Hour: 1:15 M-F
phone:
836-4831.... ECarawan@missouristate.edu
Athena presides at
the balloting
Ancient drama was a communal ritual in honor of Dionysos, the god that binds or liberates us. The play was valued as training for the active citizenry (all male) in the bonds of group identity and self-awareness. Funding was assessed from wealthy individuals, and the performance involved a chorus of citizens enlisted for that duty. A stipend was provided from the city treasury so that all men could attend, constituting much the same citizen body that met regularly to debate issues of war and peace, finance and public interest. The older men served as juries in a court system that often passed judgment on legislation as well as assessing public officials; and drama often mimicked that consummate social ritual, the trial. Whether women had access to dramatic performance remains doubtful, though their plight was often at the focus of drama, as it was sometimes taken up in court or assembly (ordinarily, women could not speak for themselves in those venues). That disparity between the genders is one of the features of this culture that often calls for deeper self-awareness in drama—as in Antigone—though rarely remarked in the political realm.
Objectives — This course is an investigation of the ancient interaction between theater and community, with these two aims. (1) To gain an in-depth understanding of ancient drama and its social context at Athens—how it worked and what it meant. (2) To use that ancient paradigm for perspective on our own democracy and its evolving expression in the arts: Is there, for instance, a particular genre or medium of social expression that is formative, shapes our culture in a definitive way, as Athenian drama did, for better or worse?
At our focus are three features of ancient society that seem worlds apart from ours but may be not so different: (a) the struggle for self-knowledge by the heroic individual; (b) the forging of group identity (clan, tribe or state) around that archetype; and (c) the precarious balance between male dominance and “hidden figures,” the way female roles guide that process of discovery.
Requirements —Readings are taken from online sources linked to this syllabus and uploaded on Blackboard. If you prefer hardcopy, check out online vendors: (e.g.) Sophocles, Four Tragedies (Ajax etc.), Meineck & Woodruff trans.; Aristophanes I Clouds, etc. Meineck transl. See Policy for rules on Academic Integrity, measures against discrimination, etc.
This course is designed as a colloquium (in the best sense): daily discussion, focused on readings in (1) drama, (2) the rise and fall of democracy—and its restoration, (3) theoretical perspective on ancient drama. Your contribution to this weekly ritual will count as much as 25% of the course grade. And you will be asked to draw upon that discussion for 3 “essays” or creative exercises, 25% each. These involve comparison of themes and characters with some historical or theoretical perspective on what the plays tell us about the evolving community; you are encouraged to draw upon modern or historical parallels.
The creative options venture into drama or fiction: short story, screen play (or key scenes), or other genre. Feel free to use modern or other historical setting, but be sure to show meaningful parallel (perhaps with ‘epilogue’ on how your characters and plot compare). The key to either exercise is to find a problem or puzzle in citizen character or profile of the community that can be captured in fiction. We will discuss a few ‘for instances’ the first week (and as the due dates approach).
Syllabus — most readings can be found at https://bacchicstage.wordpress.com
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Tues. |
Thurs. |
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Jan. 16-18 |
Theatre and Stage: profile of Athenian society; excerpts from Suppliants |
Aeschylus Prometheus
Bound |
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Jan. 23-25 |
Aeschylus Agamemnon |
Winkler ‘Ephebes’ Song’ excerpted (full text) A choral dedication, ca. 400 |
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Jan. 30- Feb.1 |
Sophocles Ajax
(Meineck’s version?) fragment of song: from a classical chorus |
Sophocles Women of Trachis |
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Feb. 6-8 |
Sophocles Antigone |
Aristotle Poetics (excerpt) focus on reversal and recognition) |
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Feb. 13-15 |
(aka ‘Oedipus Rex’) |
Pericles and the Idealized Community and Pharmakos |
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Feb. 20-22 |
Euripides Medea (who is the ‘hero’ here?) |
Hippolytos (where is the recognition?) |
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Feb.27-Mar.1 |
Fate of Mitylene Review Discussion |
Essay or Creative Project: 2-3 plays and (at least 1) theoretical perspective |
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Mar. 6-8 |
Aristophanes’ Wasps (Meineck’s translation with notes) |
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Mar.10-18 |
SPRING |
BREAK |
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Mar. 20-22 |
Aristophanes Birds, discussion queries |
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Mar. 27 |
Tragic interlude:
Sophocles Electra Timeline: Electra to the End |
Mar. 29, Spring Holiday |
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Apr. 3-5 |
Lysistrata (and the revolving revolution) |
Arginousai Trial and Fall of Democracy focus for discussion |
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Apr.10 |
Aristophanes Frogs |
Apr. 12, No meeting. Essay 2: Comedy as democratic ritual |
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Apr. 17-19 |
Euripides Bacchae |
Euripides Cyclops : Meet the Satyrs |
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Apr. 24-26 |
Aristophanes Clouds Historical context
for the comedies |
Democracy Redux: Plato’s Apology of Socrates (Jowett trans.) |
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May 1-3 |
Aristophanes Congresswomen (Parker’s lark) Democratic Reform on ... Estrogen? |
Aristophanes Ploutos (‘Wealth’) Another model of Redistribution |
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May 8-10 |
Menander Dyskolos (‘The Grouch’) Roman Comedies for Comparison |
Review and Discussion: How Drama Saved Democracy? (Mendelsohn) |
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Tues. May 15 Essay 3 (or Final Exam, 11am or as arranged) )