Greek Choral Lyric: Pindar and Bacchylides

Choral lyric played an essential role in the religious, cultural, and festive life of the Greeks in the fifth century B.C. Both Pindar and Bacchylides were acclaimed as masters of this art, and their compositions were performed in all parts of the Greek world. With proper preparation, we can enjoy in their original language their elevated poetry and appreciate the information it harbors concerning myth, local traditions, economics and power relations of class and gender. We will also consider such topics as the circumstances of their performance, literary sources and allusions, and the poets' own social position.