Greek Comedy

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This class focuses on Athenian Old Comedy as exemplified by the extant plays of Aristophanes. Two plays, Wasps and Women of the Thesmophoria, will be read in Greek, with other primary and secondary sources studied in English. Aristophanes' plays, aside being tremendously funny, provide fascinating windows into Athenian cultural and political life. Among the themes to be explored are the playwright's representation of women, democratic institutions, and the plays of other writers, including Euripides. Some attention will also be paid to later generations of comic writers, especially Menander.