Antiquity Performed: Greece and Rome on Stage and Screen

1 Course Unit

The 2026 Odyssey film is the latest in a long line of filmed and live performances that adapt Ancient Greek and Roman myth and history. From contemporary Hollywood to classical Athens, directors and playwrights have enacted their versions of characters, places, and events from centuries or millennia earlier. In this class, we’ll study a selection of these adaptations while discussing what’s at stake in the choices of how to transform ancient stories for new media and new audiences. We will consider drama from antiquity to modernity, by creators such as Euripides, Shakespeare, and Margaret Atwood; and screen adaptations by directors including Michael Cacoyannis and Christopher Nolan. Assignments focus on developing the methods through which we as an audience analyze different types of media. The course centers discussion and assumes no knowledge of the ancient world or previous experience with theater or film. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit