Drama is one of ancient Greece’s greatest gifts to civilisation, and one which has had a great impact on the development of European drama ever since. Indeed, it is likely that whenever you are studying this course there will be more than one ancient Greek play being performed somewhere in the UK. The plays engage with issues which we still wrestle with today, such as the conflict between the individual and the state, the nature of human relationships, the transience of human happiness and the nature of human suffering.
This component asks you to read three great ancient plays, each written by a different playwright: two are tragedies (Oedipus the King and Bacchae) and one is a comedy (Frogs). Moreover, the component will allow you to learn about the dramatic culture in which they were first produced – at religious festivals in large theatres.
Correction to print edition:
p.19 - para 1: the nurse and tutor are the wrong way round so the text should read
"To the far right their tutor raises his hands in mourning, while their nurse, identifiable as an old woman by her white hair, does the same."
