Theatre 301: Greek and Roman Theatre



Theatre 301: Greek and Roman Theatre

Fall 2009

Dr. Sharon M. Carnicke

Professor and Associate Dean, School of Theatre

Drama Center, Telephone: (213) 740-2202

carnicke@usc.edu

Assistant Instructor: Tiffany Cole, tcole@usc.edu

Office Hours by Appointment:

For appointments contact my assistant, Sonia de Mesa.

sdemesa@usc.edu and 213-740-8686.

Course Purpose:

In the classical Greek and Roman periods theatre reflected major religious, political and social issues. Moreover, ancient drama established key trends in the development of Western theatre. Tragedy (originating in religious choral odes) looked squarely at what makes us human and how people deal with nightmarish circumstances. Comedy (developing out of fertility rituals) looked at how we best perpetuate ourselves and our communities. This course examines the full range and depth of drama in the classical world. Moreover, because drama is a performed art, the course also interrogates the ways in which ancient drama was produced, staged, and acted. Students will examine ancient drama through a combination of literary analysis and practical workshops that explore the concrete dimensions of performance in the ancient world. Primarily for theatre majors and minors, anyone with a passion for theatre, literature, the arts, and knowledge is welcome.

Class Meetings:

• Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:50, KAP 163.

• Required reading is due on the listed date; always bring your books to class for reference during discussions.

• Preparations (as assigned) for the practical workshops will always include close readings of selected scenes; all preparations are to be done in advance of the class.

• Turn off all cell phones during class sessions and exams.

• If your phone is on during examinations, you will be asked to leave the room.

Required Texts:

The following paperbacks have been ordered for you at the USC Bookstore. They are listed in the order you will need them. NOTE: It is important that we all use the same editions, hence the same translations, for classes and exams. Therefore, please secure the specific editions given below.

THTR 301 Course Reader.

Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Hackett).

Euripides, The Cyclops (Oxford University Press).

Sophocles, The Theban Plays (Hackett).

Euripides, The Bacchae (Hackett).

Classical Comedy: Greek and Roman. Corrigan, ed. (Applause Books).

Seneca, Seneca: The Tragedies, Vol. II (Johns Hopkins Press).

Recommended Library Resource:

Performances of The Oresteia (Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides), Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Medea can be seen at the following website:



Required Work:

All assignments must be completed on time. No late work will be accepted. If you have any illnesses or emergencies that interfere with the completion of assignments, contact me or the Assistant Instructor at least 24 hours before the due date.

1. Graded Participation in two class workshops. 50% of final grade.

a. You are encouraged to volunteer for as many class workshops as you would like, but you must choose two for a grade.

b. To make your participation in a workshop count for a grade, submit an analytical paper (4-5 pages, typed, double-spaced) no later than one week following the workshop. In you paper discuss the four following issues (about one page per issue):

**Place the play into the historical and artistic context of our course. (In other words, why is this play important and unique in ancient drama?)

**What specific performance aspect of ancient theatre did the workshop examine?

**How did the workshop illuminate the play differently than did your reading of it? (In other words, what can the performance of the play tell us about its artistic dimensions?)

**Assess what you learned by participating. You might consider what you learned about the play and playwright, about ancient performance as distinct from contemporary theatre, and/or what you learned about performance generally.

c. Both workshop papers should be complete no later the class before Thanksgiving.

2. An in-class examination on Greek drama with both objective and essay questions. 25% of final grade.

3. A final analytical paper (8-10 pages, typed, double-spaced) that examines the unique qualities of Roman drama in comparison to the Greek. A topic sheet will be distributed in class. This paper will be due at the concluding session of our course, scheduled on the Final Examination Date. USC requires that all undergraduate classes meet for a final examination as scheduled by the University. Therefore, be sure to make your holiday travel plans following December 15 (our scheduled date.) You will not be excused from this final class meeting. 25% of final grade.

4. I reserve the right to give pop quizzes whenever the class seems unprepared for discussions.

Grading:

The final course grade is determined according to the following scale:

Excellent: A (4 ) = 100-96; A- (3.7) = 95-90

Good: B+ (3.3) = 89-86; B (3) = 85-84; B- (2.7) = 83-80

Average: C+ (2.3) = 79-76; C (2) = 75-74 ; C- (1.7) = 73-70

Poor: the D range (.7-1.3) = 60’s; F (0) = 59 and below

“Excellent” means that clear understanding of the class material is coupled with original and creative insight; “good” means that the class material has been understood clearly; “average” means that the class material has been generally understood, but gaps in understanding remain; “poor” means that there are identifiable gaps in the understanding of class material; “failure” means that gaps in the completion of work is coupled with poor understanding of class material.

When the mathematical GPA falls between two grades, the final grade will be weighted toward the positive end of the scale for students whose attendance and participation in class have been excellent or good and toward the negative end of the scale for those with average or poor attendance and participation.

Further Grading Notes:

1. Dishonesty in any form harms the individual, other students, and the School of Theatre. Therefore, USC policies on academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Papers suspected of containing plagiarized material (the unacknowledged or inappropriate use of another’s ideas, wording, or images) will be verified for authenticity by the School of Theatre through internet services. I expect you to familiarize yourself with the academic integrity guidelines found in the current SCampus (usc.edu/dept/publications/scampus).

2. Any work that does not fulfill the required assignment is an automatic F.

3. Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is 213-740-0776.

4. If you are not a native speaker of English and/or you are an international student, make an appointment with me in the first two weeks of classes to determine whether language accommodations might be necessary.

5. If your work in class is unsatisfactory, you will be warned before the deadline for dropping the course with a grade of W.

6. I will be happy to discuss your work at any time, and I encourage you to make an appointment with me at least once during the semester.

DATE ASSIGNMENTS

Aug. Tu 25 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSLATION

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF ANCIENT THEATRE

READ: Class Handouts

I: ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA IN PERFORMANCE: TRILOGIES AND SATYR PLAYS

Th 27 THE PLACE OF THEATRE IN THE POLIS: THE TRILOGY

READ: Timelines/Charts (Course Reader) and Agamemnon (first play in The Oresteia).

NOTE: During the first week of September there will be a Visions and Voices event on Sophocles’ Antigone with guest artists from Greece. Details will be given in class! You will be expected to attend.

Sept. Tu 1 WORKSHOP: A scene from Agamemnon. [Theatrical Space and Significant Props]

Th 3 READ: The Libation Bearers (second play in The Oresteia)

Tu 8 WORKSHOP: A scene from The Libation Bearers. [Character Interaction]

Th 10 READ: The Furies (third play in The Oresteia)

NOTE: Friday, Sept. 11 is the last day to drop this class without a "W" or to select "P/NP."

Tu 15 WORKSHOP: A scene from The Furies. [The depiction of gods and

goddesses]

DISCUSSION TOPIC FOR TRILOGIES: How is The Oresteia more than the sum of its parts? What does the trilogy say about the society and religion that produced it? What does it say to us today?

Th 17 ACTING THROUGH CHORUS AND CHARACTERS

THE REPUTATION OF THE ACTOR IN ANCIENT GREECE

READ in Course Reader: Excerpts from Actors on Acting--Greece, Plato’s Republic (Chapter 10), and Aristotle’s Poetics, and the images of Greek theatres, masks, and costumes.

Tu 22 WORKSHOP: Choral performance. [Chant, song, speech]

Th 24 THE SATYR PLAY AS EPILOGUE TO THE TRILOGY

READ: Euripides, The Cyclops.

Tu 29 WORKSHOP: A scene from The Cyclops. [Comedic techniques]

DISCUSSION TOPIC FOR SATYR PLAYS: Why link satyrs to tragedies? How does a comedic point of view reflect upon the human condition differently than does tragedy?

Oct. Th 1 A CONTEMPORARY GREEK PRODUCTION OF TRAGEDY

VIEW: Iphigenia.

REMINDER: Have you turned in a first workshop paper yet? How about the second one?

II: THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF GREEK TRAGEDY

Oct. Tu 6 CLASSICAL DRAMA AT ITS HEIGHT: SOPHOCLES

READ: Sophocles, Oedipus the King (The Theban Plays).

Th 8 READ: Sophocles, Antigone (The Theban Plays) and Raymond Williams, “Antigone” (Course Reader).

13/15 WORKSHOP: Scenes from both plays by Sophocles. [Interaction in a new mode.]

DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR SOPHOCLES: How does Sophocles use the chorus differently than Aeschylus? How does interaction between the major characters in Sophocles differ from those created by Aeschylus?

Tu 20 THE BAD BOY OF GREEK DRAMA: EURIPIDES

READ: Euripides, The Bacchae.

Th 22 WORKSHOP: A scene from The Bacchae.

DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR EURIPIDES: What is the link between The Cyclops and The Bacchae? How does Euripides challenge the norms and conventions of Greek Tragedy as developed by Aeschylus and Sophocles?

REMINDER: Have you turned in your second workshop paper yet? How about the first?

III: ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY: “OLD” COMEDY

Oct. Tu 27 FERTILITY RITUALS, ANIMAL CHORUSES, AND SATIRE

READ: Aristophanes, The Birds (Classical Comedy).

Th 29 WORKSHOP: A scene from The Birds. [Comic techniques for political

persuasion]

DISCUSSION TOPIC: What is the link between The Cyclops and The Birds? Can ancient comedy speak to contemporary audiences? What is lost and gained with the passage of time?

Nov. Tu 3 REVIEW OF ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA

Th 5 IN-CLASS EXAMINATION

IV: THE ROMAN POINT OF VIEW

Nov. Tu 10 ROMAN VIEWS ON SOCIETY, RELIGION, THEATRE AND ACTORS

READ in Course Reader: Excerpts from Actors on Acting and the image of the Roman stage.

Th 12* ROMAN TRAGEDY: VIOLENCE CENTER STAGE.

READ: Seneca, Oedipus (Seneca: The Tragedies, Vol. II).

NOTE: Friday, Nov. 13 is the last day to drop this course with a mark of "W."

Tu 17* WORKSHOP: Two scenes from Seneca. [Soliloquies and Interactive Dialogue]

NOTE: Any one still missing a workshop grade must participate in the Senecan workshop!

DISCUSSION TOPIC: How do Sophocles and Seneca tell the same story differently? How do these differences reflect their different social, artistic, and political contexts?

Th 19* CLASS BUSINESS:

The Assignment Prompt for the final paper (due on the final examination date) will be handed out and discussed.

The class will brainstorm on paper topics and share writing tips.

Tu 24* ROMAN COMEDY: “NEW” COMEDY

VIEW: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Th 26 THANKSGIVING!!

Dec. Tu 1 READ: Plautus, The Menaechmi (Classical Comedy).

Th 3 Follow the Dress: Selected scenes from Plautus will be read aloud and

analyzed in class.

DISCUSSION TOPICS ON NEW COMEDY: How does the comedy of Plautus differ from that of Aristophanes? How do the comedic techniques of slap-stick and sit-com reflect both Roman values and Roman political repression (as distinct from the politically engaged satire of Aristophanes)? How are props used differently in Plautus from other plays read this term?

FINAL EXAMINATION, Tuesday, December 15, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

THE CLASS WILL MEET TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS FROM THE SEMESTER’S WORK

THE FINAL PAPER IS DUE AT THIS FINAL SESSION OF CLASS!

Have a wonderful holiday recess!!!

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