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Due Date: Monday, 6 December 2010
There are, essentially, two different approaches that you can take in fulfilling this assignment. On the one hand, you can analyze the references to the epic tradition in all of your readings in the Greek dramatists and then come up with a broad thesis (e.g., "The Greek dramatists, in their development of the epic tradition of Troy, never question or contradict the Iliad, but rather make use of it as a steady and unbroken foundation upon which to build."). On the other hand, you can compare and contrast a particular theme that is developed in both Homer and the Greek dramatists that we've read (e.g., "The Greek dramatists reveal that, in the centuries that intervened between Homer and the fifth century B.C., the Olympian gods had been transformed from distinct personalities into impersonal forces of nature.").* Keep in mind that the purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you have critically read and have comparatively analyzed the Iliad and the Greek dramatists Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, while focusing on the epic tradition of Troy. *Disclaimer: The sample theses are intended merely to indicate the approaches that may be used in order to arrive at an acceptable thesis for this assignment, and they should not be regarded as necessarily ideal or arguable. Two weeks before this essay is due you will be required to present your thesis, along with at least two supporting arguments (including textual citations), in a brief synopsis of 100-200 words. This will be presented on the online Discussion Board, on or before Monday, November 22, for the consideration and response of your classmates. You will also be required to respond critically, expressing reasoned agreement or disagreement, to two of your classmates' theses and argument synopses. Both of these responses must be posted on or before Monday, November 29. Your participation in this forum is equivalent to participation in a rough draft workshop, and failure to participate will lower your final essay grade up to one full letter (e.g., from an A to a B). Presentations of theses and argument synopses, as well as critical responses, should be posted within the forum "Homer and the Dramatists" (a sub-forum of "Comparative Essay"), which is accessible only by password. The password will be provided to you during class. |
By the time of the Classical Period in Greek history, the golden age of the dramatists, Homer was well known by the Athenian audiences that gathered in the Theatre of Dionysus to be entertained by the plays of Aeschylus (ca. 525-456 B.C.), Sophocles (ca. 495-406 B.C.), and Euripides (ca. 480-406 B.C.). In the readings for this course, you have had an opportunity to observe how these great dramatists made use of the epic tradition of Troy, as preserved in Homer or elsewhere. This particular assignment asks you to focus on how the dramatists made use of the Iliad. Is the Agamemnon of Aeschylus the same character as is developed by Homer? Is the Ajax of Sophocles and Euripides the same character that appears in the Iliad ? If these dramatists had a script of Homer to work with, how did they make use of it? Did they honor it as though it were a sacred text that could not be modified or added to? Is there any evidence of disagreement or disapproval of Homer's development of the Troy tradition?