Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BC) personally fought against the Persian invasions into Greece in 490 and 480 but at the same time perfected drama as we know it today during a period of cultural activity we rightly still call ‘the Greek miracle’. Only some 10% of his original output of plays survives, but what does survive is precious, for in his Oresteia (458 BC) we possess the only complete trilogy to survive antiquity. These three plays famously present the homecoming of King Agamemnon from the Trojan War and the deadly, problematic aftermath. Aeschylus’ Persians (472 BC) is also unique as the only surviving play to present a historical event (the Persian defeat at the recent Battle of Salamis) on stage. The Seven against Thebes portrays old King Oedipus’ sons in a bloody struggle for control over Thebes, the Suppliant women portrays the politically problematic plight of unmarried young women in the face of aggression and the Prometheus bound famously depicts the struggle of humankind’s benefactor against an arrogant king of the gods, Zeus himself.
This course is designed to help us familiarise ourselves with these plays and understand the background, both historical and literary, that led to their invention, but also to equip us with the tools of analysis, many reaching directly back to Aristotle, used to help us understand Greek tragedy.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- An understanding of the content of the plays;
- An understanding of the terms of analysis for Greek drama;
- An understanding of the historical and literary context of the plays.
Classes
1. The Persians
2. Seven against Thebes and the Suppliant women
3. The Oresteia 1
4. The Oresteia 2
5. Prometheus bound
Required reading
The Oxford World’s Classics or recent Penguin translations of Aeschylus are excellent. Usually the Oresteia comes as one volume with the other four plays making up a second volume.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.