Greek Comedy Honors Colloquium: Classical Studies 4003H
University of Arkansas: Spring, 2020.
Course Description and Syllabus
Illustration: Interior of a bronze mirror-cover, engraved
with a scene of Aphrodite playing knucklebones with Pan. Probably Corinthian,
ca. 350 BCE. d. 18.5 cm. British Museum.
Course Description and Syllabus
Welcome to Greek Comedy!
We also might call this class ARISTOPHANES.COM, because we will be reading mostly “Old Attic Comedy,” which is only fully extant in the plays of Aristophanes of Athens. His eleven plays have a lot to tell us about his society, and our own.
I. Course Goals:
I see our course goals, in general:
- to understand the background of Greek comedy,
- to visualize the physical setting of the original performances,
- to engage with the texts of ancient Greek comedy through reading and performance,
- to explain the historical, mythological, political, literary, and social
references the plays contain, - to describe the people and events which the plays portray,
- to compare and contrast ancient comedy with modern notions of the comic.
To reach these goals, we will:
- read and discuss primary texts and secondary scholarly works,
- write short summaries of plots, characters, and settings,
- write about and discuss questions which the plays provoke,
- perform scenes aloud,
- discuss staging and costume requirements,
- write a term paper on an aspect of Greek comedy.
II. Required Texts:
Professor Levine may assign other supplementary readings during the semester, both of primary and of secondary sources.
III. Procedures:
We will read all of the existing comedies of Aristophanes and Douglas MacDowell’s Aristophanes and Athens, which will provide important literary, historical and social context.
We will look at Comedy in TEXT and CONTEXT. That is, our discussions
will first concentrate on the evidence in the works themselves. These original texts will cause us to ask certain questions about intent, staging, and social/political/literary references. We will ask questions of the text
as we read, and devote a good part of of our time addressing both these issues, as well as some questions which others have posed about the comedies and their place in ancient Greek life.
Students will write short Reactions to the plays we read, which will also form the basis of class discussions. The one-page Reactions to each play will contain the following:
1. Title, date, festival, prize (if known);
2. Plot summary (not more than three sentences);
3. Geographic location of the action, and at least two other locations that are important to the play;
4. Important Themes/Concerns/Issues, with line numbers for an example of each (minimum: 2, maximum: 4). Note briefly why each is important in the play, and be prepared to discuss in class.
5. Most Memorable Character/Costume/Scene. What aspect of the play do you think would have made the greatest impact on the original audience?
6. A Question. Ask a question that the play provokes.
All students are required to participate actively in the class. This
is a colloquium, which means that “speaking together” is the basis
of our learning experience. The professor requests that students allow everybody to have a turn to speak, and that no students consistently dominate the discussion. Class will be most pleasant when all participants listen politely and respectfully to one another. Our purpose is to share ideas in the spirit of collective inquiry — and to have fun.
All students will come to class having completed each day’s reading and writing assignments, and will be prepared to discuss the day’s materials in an informed way. Late written work will incur grade reduction (i.e. ten percent per day late). Students who are too sick to come to class will so inform the professor in writing (dlevine@uark.edu), preferably before class. Communicate early and often.
IV. TERM PAPER.
Each student will write a term paper, choosing the topic by the 10th week of classes, and handing it in on or before May 7, 2020. See below (section VIII) for possible topics. Click here for general guidelines.
V. Grades
Students will earn grades as follows:
- Class Preparation and Participation: 50%
- Oral/Written Work: 25%
- Term Paper: 25%
VI. Inclement weather policy:
When the University is open, we will hold class. Students who consider
it too risky to come to class, or are hampered from attending due to inclement weather conditions will not suffer grade penalties for not attending, or for not being able to hand in assignments on such days.
VII. Professor
Professor Daniel B. Levine, Kimpel Hall 502. Telephone: 479-575-5937, email: dlevine@uark.edu Fax: 479-575-6795. Office Hours, Spring 2020: Monday and Wednesday 1:00-2:30, and by appointment.
VIII. Term Paper Details
Each student will choose a term paper project by the 10th week of classes, and hand it in on May 7 (or before). Topic choices are below. General guidelines are linked here.
Three Possible Approaches:
A. An in-depth examination of one of the following subjects, dealing with at least two plays, comparing, contrasting and analyzing the differences in regard to one of the following 20 choices (also at this link: https://wordpressua.uark.edu/dlevine/comedyessaytopics/)
1. What does the PARABASIS of the play say about THE NATURE OF
COMEDY? [The parabasis of Acharnians is lines 626-718; the parabasis of Knights is lines 499-610; the parabasis of Clouds is lines 518-626; the parabasis of Wasps is lines 1010-1121; the parabasis of Peace is 729-817; the parabasis of Birds is 676-800, and a second parabasis at 1058-1117.]
2. To what extent does the play refer to CURRENT EVENTS AND PEOPLE?
[What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?]
3. To what extent does the play refer to THE GODS AND RELIGION? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?]
4. To what extent does the play refer to or parody TRAGEDY, LYRIC AND/OR EPIC POETRY? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Thesmophoriazusae, Frogs, Acharnians, Wasps
5. To what extent does the play refer to ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY? [What
does the play say about it? How does it represent it? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Knights, Acharnians, Ecclesiazusae, Wasps
6. To what extent does the play refer to issues of WAR AND PEACE? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Peace, Lysistrata, Acharnians
7. To what extent does the play refer to EATING, FOOD, DRINK, AND/OR
COOKING? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?]
8. To what extent does the play refer to SEX AND OBSCENITY? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?]
9. To what extent does the play refer to CLOTHING, COSTUME, AND/OR
DISGUISE? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Frogs, Acharnians, Ecclesiazusae, Thesmophoriazusae.
10. To what extent does the play refer to FAMILY AND FAMILY
RELATIONS? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Clouds, Acharnians, Lysistrata, Wasps
11. To what extent does the play refer to MUSIC AND DANCE? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Birds, Wasps, Acharnians, Peace, Lysistrata
12. To what extent does the play refer to AGRICULTURE AND FARMING?
[What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Acharnians, Peace, Knights
13. To what extent does the play refer to YOUTH AND OLD AGE? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Wasps, Clouds, Lysistrata, Ecclesiazusae
14. To what extent does the play refer to UTOPIA AND/OR THE IDEAL
STATE? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Ecclesiazusae, Peace, Birds, Wealth
15. To what extent does the play refer to WEALTH AND/OR POVERTY? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Wasps, Clouds, Wealth, Knights, Ecclesiazusae
16. To what extent does the play refer to WOMEN? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Thesmophoriazusae, Lysistrata, Ecclesiazusae
17. To what extent does the play refer to SCIENTISTS, SOPHISTS, AND/OR EDUCATION? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Clouds, Birds, Wealth
18. To what extent does the play refer to LANGUAGE, SPEECH, AND/OR
ORATORY? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Clouds, Frogs
19. To what extent does the play refer to CLEON? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Knights, Wasps, Peace
20. To what extent does the play refer to FOREIGNERS/BARBARIANS/NON-GREEKS? [What does the play say about them? How does it represent them? Why does it do so? What is the point?] Suggestions: Thesmophoriazousai, Birds, Akharnians
B. Students may also consider writing a term paper on a specific character in Aristophanes’ plays (real or mythical), such as:
CLEON, PERICLES, AESCHYLUS, SOPHOCLES, EURIPIDES,
ALCIBIADES, APHRODITE, APOLLO, ARTEMIS, ASCLEPIUS, ATHENA,
DEMETER AND PERSEPHONE, DIONYSOS, HERACLES, HERMES,
HYPERBOLUS, MUSES, NIKIAS, POSEIDON, ZEUS, SLAVES, SPARTANS
C. Other subjects. I have listed here some suggestions, based on references in Alan H. Sommerstein’s INDEXES (Aris and Phillips, 2002). The following topics would be great to do within a cultural context. I mean that your paper would investigate the phenomenon outside of comedy, and then show how in comedy Aristophanes uses it for humor or other effects.
Some possibilities: Madness/Insanity/Mental Illness, dressing, undressing and nudity, trees, torture, torches, thunderbolts, stars and constellations, sports and athletics, silence, ships and seafaring, sex-sellers, Sicily, sacrifices, rape, seers, prophets, prophecy, oracles, priests and priestesses, prayer, phallus, Persia and Persian Wars, Piraeus, Panathenaia Festival, oaths, navy, Mysteries (Eleusinian, and others), musical instruments, military life, Megara and the Megarians, Medicine and Medical Treatment, insects and arachnids, homosexuality, hair,
gender, garlands, footwear, foreigners, farting, festivals, scatology, dithyramb, Dionysia Festival, diseases and ailments, dancing, corporal punishment, Corinth, coins and coinage, cavalry, calendar, beards and beardlessness, barbarians, audience, Marathon, taxes, criminal punishments, prosecutions for crimes, ecclesia (assembly), ambassadors, the Agora, the Pnyx, arms and armor, dogs, adultery.
You may contact the professor during the process of choosing your term paper topic. He will be happy to share ideas, or brainstorm with you.
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