Format: 

STAGE 1: ESSAY (15 pts)  - please note earlier due date than above

ESSAY: Choose ONE of the following and write an essay to be turned in NO LATER THAN 5 PM Monday Dec 8 (Last Day of classes) with AT LEAST an intro, conclusion and 6 body paragraphs - paragraphs on this topic will be inadequate if they are shorter than 4 good sentences in length. With proper use of examples and enough of your comments this essay should be at least 2-3 word processed pages long. I will not place an upper limit. You may use ONLY your books and notes as resources (if you are daring and look for journal articles, I would, of course accept such commentary, but they are not required) and since you have access to these I will expect solid documentation with examples of all your major points. Quote the text by author and page number when necessary. I am looking for good comparative thinking that shows command of this subject. This is the last chance you have to show me that you now understand Aeschylus and Sophocles in context with Euripides and Seneca.

Papers may be submitted as a hard copy in an envelope I will put outside my office door(McIver 236) OR as an electronic submission, preferably in Microsoft Word, submitted to my email: jhstarks@uncg.edu   For safety, keep a hard copy of your paper to submit in case the electronic submission does not work AND submit a copy of your text in the body of your email in case the attachment is inaccessible.

1) Tantalus produced one of the most dysfunctional families in Greek mythology. Tragic treatments of this family cover the entire history of ancient tragedy, from Aeschylus to Seneca. Write an essay in which you examine 2 plays in Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy, Sophocles' Electra, Euripides' Electra AND Orestes, and Seneca's Thyestes (YOU MAY, but are not required, to comment on Pacuvius' Doulorestes as well, especially since Seneca may have been familiar with it). This makes a total of 2 Aeschylus plays, 1 Sophocles., 2 Euripides and 1 Seneca. Discuss how each of these plays exhibits the distinctive style of that author as regards any element of tragic writing. Note especially the differences among the authors' treatments of law and order, guilt, justice, personal and social morality, and family bonds - You don't need to discuss all these, but you should pick a couple of them or others you may choose as major themes that can tie your essay together. Also make sure that you include comment on how each author's play shows the historic change in the dramatic presentation of the tragic. You may comment on other plays we have read as they bear on the development of tragedy as theater.

OR

2) You are commissioned to write a modern tragedy (it can be a musical production) based on classical themes and set in an ancient Greek city. You are in the research phase of your writing and are looking for some authentic ideas you can borrow from the four great ancient tragedians: Aeschylus (start with Persians, and use reference to one other of his plays); Sophocles; Euripides (examples from 2 different plays); Seneca. You can borrow specific characters or character types, choruses, prologues or dialogue opening scenes, stylistic methods, tragic misreadings and misunderstandings, plot lines, costuming, whatever. Just make sure that you explain your borrowed concepts completely and that your own show concept is at least clearly outlined. Use your intro and conclusion to tie all your ideas together into a somewhat unified concept of your play, but you do not have to give a complete plot or list of characters. Notice that you will come up with 6 borrowed ideas. Each should take a good paragraph or so of writing to explain what that concept would add to your show. Use as many direct references to the authors' plays as you can. Don't borrow the same thing from everyone, e.g. don't just borrow six different characters and make that your whole essay. Mix it up and have fun with this. Show me that you're familiar with the many differences between these four authors.

STAGE 2:  to be taken in class Thursday Dec 11, 9-11 AM

1. 5 Roman stage ID - Given 4 terms describing parts of the Roman stage, identify them on an overhead AND profile view of a Roman theater + 1 short thought question about
the theater and its contrasts with the Greek theater.
2. 22 matching - names of dramatic and historical characters, Hellenistic Greek and Roman theater terminology. (sections 1 and 2 should take you only  7-10 minutes; each question will be worth 1 pt)
3. 9 line ID (2 pts each;  c. 10 minutes) - You will read one line spoken by an individual actor from each of the 7 plays we have read this last portion of the class (not the fragments of early Roman tragedy, but including Exagoge), and based on the contents of the line supply a) the name of the play it comes from and b) the person who speaks that line in the play. 2 additional passages will appear spoken from the chorus of one of these plays, and you must identify the play and that the chorus or a chorus member or leader speaks those lines.
4. 3 character ID short answer (5 pts each; 15 minutes) - I'll provide you a short description of a character from one of the plays. You will identify the character by name and the play in which he/she appears, then offer a short but complete description of that character's contribution to the plot and ideas of his/her respective play, especially considering the role of any scene or action obviously described in the ID.
5. 8 Short Answer (5 pts each; about 40 minutes) - Assorted questions on tragedians' biographies, individual plays, comparing between plays, putting events in chronological order, etc. Some may require a few words to answer completely, others may need 3-4 sentences, but never more than that.
 

Material to Know: This is only an outline of major points in these plays and should not be considered a complete examination of the many questions that you should know for this final exam

For each play know all characters with speaking parts (including those named by their position, e.g., messenger, nurse, etc.), know the major things
they say and do in the plot, and their significance to the drama of the play, know names of significant characters who do not appear onstage but are very important to the plot of the play (e.g. Agamemnon in Electra, Orestes, Semele in Bacchae), identify characters and subjects raised in opening and closing scenes of each play, Be able to explain or put in order the events and most important ideas expressed in each episode between the choruses, consider scenes which need specific props or set pieces. Be able to identify differences in the process and methods of Euripides, Aristophanes, Ezekiel and Seneca - Consider your own ideas on the differences between these authors

Chorus diminishing in importance in late 5th c BCE, note Orestes, but it's not gone, note Bacchae. See Context, p. 351 for main reason. Note the arrangement of choruses and the number of members for 5th century.

Euripides Electra (416-413 BC) - peasant gives prologue, why? what's he have to contribute to this new version of this old dramatic theme? Electra's entrance and complaints, setting at the peasant's cottage gives new force and intrigue to the murder plot, lots of discussion of social class distinctions between poor and rich and Aegisthus and Clytemnestra's efforts to strip Electra of any chance at raising legitimate threatening heirs to take power from them, Orestes and Pylades appear and decide to hide to overhear Electra, Electra's song with chorus - purpose?, Orestes appears to meet Electra and get news to bring back to "Orestes" - see esp Electra speech 176-77, Orestes 178-179, peasant's brief reappearance around these speeches, Tutor enters with "signs" of Orestes' arrival, most of which Electra considers ridiculous - note that they are Aeschylus' very signs from Libation Bearers, Orestes has to be prodded to action by tutor and Electra who says she'll kill Clyt with her own trap. Know Orestes' trap of Aegisthus and the way Electra got Clyt to come out to her house. Messenger's gory speech about Aegisthus' sacrificial death, Electra's speech to dead Aegisthus pp. 197-198, Clytemnestra's serious attempt to debate Electra on motivations, Electra comes back at her on all points p. 203, notice how the lyric dialogue and Castor's appearance and comments at end make Orestes' murder of his mother seem like something he didn't want to do and which Castor suggests he should not have, Electra and Orestes continue a family curse and Helen's not to blame for everything

Orestes -  (performed 408 BCE - acted and received poorly at first, but would become his most popular play after his death. WHY?) - Helen
and Electra opening - why these two? Orestes' madness by furies, Menelaus' first meeting with Orestes, Tyndareus changes Menelaus' perspective,
Tyndareus' feelings about his daughters, significant role of Pylades and trio of kidnapper/murderers and their supportive dialogue, votes in council of Argos, Hermione and Helen as
objects of vengeance, the Phrygian eunuch's role, Menelaus and Orestes squabble until Apollo's deus ex machina; picture of stage madness, significant
departure from usual accounts, 

Euripides' Bacchae -  (prob. performed 406 BCE, after Euripides' death, 1st place) - religion vs. anti-religion, reality vs. delusion/illusion, laws of man vs. laws of the gods;  elements of Dionysus worship who is believed to be wild and foreign (Euripides wrote this play while in barbarian Macedonia, a legendary home of Bacchic worship), Dionysus delivers prologue but disguised as a prophet for himself, several choruses in play are hymns to Dionysus, Cadmus and Tiresias on the reasons to worship Dionysus - they are odd-looking couple, Pentheus makes fun of Dionysus' appearance, then next scene has Bacchic rites described and he wants to see them so dressed up and Dionysus makes fun of him, tragedy of self-destruction for Pentheus, Agave and Cadmus, Agave's sad delusion and Cadmus' admission of guilt, Dionysus' demand to be honored

Aristophanes' Frogs - (405 BCE, 1st place, command performance later in year) gods - Dionysus, Heracles, Hades, views of death and the underworld - Charon, Aeacus, play on role of Dionysus at his theater festival and his lack of knowledge of the rites performed by the initiates in the Eleusinian mysteries, two choruses (frogs, initiates), purposes of tragedy for public good, Aeschylus (525-456 BC), Euripides (485-407/6 BC) - Sophocles died late 406, - note comments between Dionysus and Heracles about no good tragedy writers left now, slavery issues between Xanthias, Dionysus and Charon, 406 - Athenians win naval battle using slave labor, sailors abandoned in water, remember that Athens has been at war with Sparta for 25 years at this point
differences in styles and methods of Aeschylus and Euripides - know several of their more involved arguments against each other's ways of writing and character creation - Aeschylus' lofty tones and characters who appear for a long time without speaking, Euripides' low-class characters, Aeschylus' moral messages and high-minded noblepeople, both have repetitive or redundant styles in their prologues, Euripides' democratization of the stage, Euripides' new musical style (wi-i-i-i-i-nding),  weight of arguments contest, their different suggestions for the improvement of present-day Athens, other differences mentioned in class, Aeschylus protects his seat from Euripides when he goes back to Athens

Aristophanes' line about no good tragic writers left after Euripides and Sophocles almost turns out to be self-fulfilling statement, best preserved tragedy between Bacchae and Seneca is:

Ezekiel's Exodus - Jewish tragic writer from Alexandria Egypt, read entire link on webpage, esp. consider the various questions raised by presenting Moses' story in form of Greek tragedy, questions about remainder of structure of play, difficulties for Ezekiel who wrote for Jews? non-Jews? or both? questions about chorus, how does play show blend of Jewish and Greek elements, role of God's voice in play, note how Moses's story and presentation seems to follow the same patterns as Euripides' rescue dramas (like Ion)

Greek theater has spread around the Mediterranean Sea along with Greek language, actors professionalizing more and traveling between major cities for festivals, actors gaining international prestige and reputations, Universal Guild of the Artists of Dionysus - considered haughty by city officials who had to pay them well, even paying large sums just so they will agree to do the festival, a kind of "signing-bonus"

Roman tragedy - adapted from Greek tragedy in 3rd cent. BC, Livius Andronicus (freed slave) first writer of Latin literature, including first tragedy and comedy written for ludi Romani (Roman festival games) of 240 BC - plays adapted from Greek models contracted for entertainment at festivals,

fabula crepidata - tragedy in Latin based on Greek mythological stories; fabula praetexta - tragedy in Latin based on native Roman legendary topics

Ennius - 239-169 BCE - Italian, knew Greek, Latin, teacher, writer - epic, tragedy, bad comedy; sponsored by famous Romans, named Roman citizen late in life, loved Greek culture, his nephew was the tragedian Pacuvius - fragments on handout from ""Alexander" esp. note the use of Cassandra in a kind of traditional way (prophetess who is not believed) story of Paris being brought back into Troy as a child, despite the impending doom
Pacuvius - 220-132/30 - Italian, 'student' of Ennius, painter, a few tragedies late in life, produced play at same time as Accius (140 BCE) met with Accius, who modified his tragedies at request of Pacuvius (135 BC) - fragments on handout from "Doulorestes" - Pacuvius known for interesting word choices -see fragments 135  and 138-140 on his relationship with Clytemnestra, also lots of nastiness between Clyt and Electra
Accius (170-after 86 BC) - north Italy, freedmen parents, to Asia in 135 after Pacuvius meeting, wrote on theater history and practice,
example of fabula praetexta - Brutus - dream of Tarquin similar to Atossa in Persians

Lucius Annaeus Seneca - (4 BCE-65 CE/AD) - Stoic philosopher, raised in family of public speakers and educators, banished by emperor Claudius (41-49), tutor to Nero, later asked to commit suicide because of implications that he was involved in conspiracy against Nero
dates of writing tragedies unknown, probably during exile period 

Thyestes - opening with Tantalus' ghost and Fury - significance of drama and infusion of house with evil presence, Atreus and Thyestes' fight over reign of Mycenae/Argos, golden ram's fleece, Atreus' wife and implications of adultery - questions about legitimacy of sons (Agamemnon and Menelaus), Atreus and his attendant meet and discuss king's recognition of public approval, Thyestes and the influence of son Tantalus then brother Atreus, messenger's speeches about sacrifice, Atreus and Thyestes about the consumption of Thyestes' children and Atreus' sense of restored legitimacy, philosophical lines on the role of the good king and the tyrant - knowing language of evil doings by Atreus very common in Euripides but as far back as Aeschylus, comparison of this story to Tereus, Procne and Philomela

Oedipus- note differences and comparisons with Sophocles' version; differences in roles of Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, Tiresias, new role of Manto and her significant descriptions, Phorbas is the name of the shepherd; consider the role of Laius, difference in deaths, Oedipus' fears and his exit, whole background of Thebes self-destruction brought out in choruses - references to Cadmus, Pentheus, Dionysus/Bacchus

Note in the last passages we read from Context how the Christian period presented new issues for actors (esp. mime actresses) and emperors to grapple with, theater is still there and thriving but in even greater conflict with the new religious aspect of Roman rule
Distinctive traits of Senecan tragedy: grotesque, Stoic philosophical, choruses more removed from lead characters but frequent cosmic hymns, we do not know if these were ever performed as theater, probably only as poetry recitations, but strong influence on later theater.