In a paper (split in two sections), you will apply your knowledge from the course to examine critically one of the modern adaptations we have studied (The Cure at Troy, Antigone in Ferguson, or Mojada) and then discuss how you would adapt a different Greek tragedy of your choosing. In your response, you will need to make use of the material from throughout the semester, together with three of the supplementary readings for the plays you have chosen to discuss. Refer to the citation guide for how to cite works you use in this assignment. At the top of the first page, please write your title, name, and word count. This assignment will be submitted through Turnitin. The grading criteria and rubric can be found in Rubrics. Part One (1000 words): Pick one of the modern adaptations of Greek tragedy we have studied this semester: The Cure at Troy, Antigone in Ferguson, Mojada. Why and how has the modern play used the Greek original to explore contemporary ethical problems? In your response, you should consider: How relevant are the themes of the original Greek tragedy to the modern context and ethical themes of the adaptation? In what ways are the plot and themes of the Greek original similar or different to the modern issues? How do these similarities and differences contribute to your understanding of the purpose of the modern play? How might the formal aspects of the genre of Greek tragedy lend themselves to the exploration of modern ethical problems. In what ways does the modern play make use of set speeches, agon scenes, and/or the chorus and choral song to explore its themes? In what ways are these similar or different to the original performance and the role of these features of Greek tragedy? Part Two : Now imagine that you are in charge of a theatre company tasked with staging a Greek play for a contemporary audience at KU. Taking the play you discussed in Part 1 as a model, discuss how you would use one of the Greek tragedies we have looked at this semester to explore a modern ethical issue. For this section, you will need to focus on one Greek tragedy and to refer to at least one ethical theory from this semester. IMPORTANT: you cannot pick either the Oresteia or the same Greek tragedy on which the modern play you discussed in Part One is based (. if you picked, The Cure at Troy in Part One, do not discuss Philoctetes in Part Two; if you picked Antigone in Ferguson in Part One, do not discuss Antigone in Part Two; if you picked Mojada in Part One, do not discuss Medea in Part Two). In your discussion, you should consider: How the themes of the original play are relevant to the modern issue you have chosen, and how the adaptation of the play lends itself to exploring that issue. What particular ethical theories covered this semester are most relevant to the modern issue, and how they could be explored through the lens of the play How formal aspects of the performance would contribute to the exploration of the modern issue. Would anything have to change from the original Greek performance (. would you keep the chorus, and why?)? Here are the sources you can use Aristotle. 2013. Poetics. Translated by A. Kenny. Oxford: Oxford University Press (part of the Oxford World Classics series). ISBN: 9780199608362 Heaney, S. 1991. The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles’ Philoctetes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 9780374522896 Lefkowitz, M. and Romm, J. (eds.) 2016. The Greek Plays. Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. New York: Modern Library. ISBN: 9780812983098 must use three of these supplimentary readings: Supplementary Readings: For this paper you will need two supplementary readings – these can be either articles or book-chapters from the selection below. Unless marked as a PDF, the links below will take you the the KU Library Catalogue. Easterling ed. 1997 (Links to an external site.)Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy (Links to an external site.) (excellent chapters on the background, context, themes, and influence of Greek tragedy generally) Euben 1982 “Justice and the Oresteia” (Links to an external site.) Goldhill 2004 Aeschylus: The Oresteia (Links to an external site.) (sections 5-7 and 9-12 are especially relevant) Lawrence 2013 Moral Awareness in Greek Tragedy (chap 1 “Introduction” PDF; chap. 4 “Aeschylus’ Agamemnon” PDF; chap. 5 “Aeschylus: Choephori and Eumenides”) Nussbaum 2001 The Fragility of Goodness (available in course reserve at Watson; chap. 2 “Aeschylus and practical conflict” PDF) Williams 1973 Problems of the Self (available in course reserve at Watson; chap. 11 “Ethical Consistency” PDF – touches on Agamemnon) Williams 1993 Shame and Necessity (available in course reserve at Watson)
