CLAS 339 Tragedy: Ancient and Modern Classics 18 points Tragedy: Ancient and Modern will introduce students to the origins and conceptual foundations of Greek and Roman tragedy, and their relevance to modern theatre and cultural practice. The means to this end is to examine three prominent tragic themes (Oedipus, Phaedra and Dionysus) in the plays of Sophocles and Euripides (Oedipus the King, Hippolytus & Bacchae) and their Senecan versions in the light of the epistemology that underlies their theatrical form and social and religious significance. The same three themes, as expressed by three twentieth-century playwrights (Wole Soyinka, Tony Harrison, Ted Hughes) will then be examined to reveal fundamental continuities and differences between ancient and modern understanding and perception. A particular focus will be on the importance of classical themes to contemporary post-modern and post-colonial values. Prerequisite 18 200-level points in CLAS, GREK, LATN, or Head of Department approval Restriction CLAS 239 Open for Interest Only enrolment – lectures and tutorials (with Head of Department permission) Time commitment Lectures Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu: 1100-1150 – QUAD5 Seminar Fri: 1000-1150 – QUAD5 Lecturer Dr Harry Love (course coordinator) Prescribed textbook Love, H.W. (trans), Three Greek Tragedies: Sophocles, Oedipus the King; Euripides, Bacchae, available from Uniprint. Seneca L.A., Four Tragedies and Octavia, Penguin. Soyinka, W., Bacchae of Euripides, a Communion Rite, Norton. A course reader will be held on Close Reserve at the Central Library and also be sold by the Uniprint Shop Assessment Essay (3500 words) 40% Final examination (3 hours) 60% Fees Domestic (including Interest Only) $749.70, International $3150.00, Study Abroad $2925.00. Each student studying on campus incurs an additional Student Services fee of $112.