Introduction to Greek Theater

0.5 High School Credit

Course Dates

Session I - Fall 2023: Starting week of October 2nd, 2023 to week of November 20th, 2023

Session II - Winter 2024: Starting week of Feb 12th , 2024 to week of April 1st, 2024

Session III - Spring 2024: Starting week of April 8th 2024 to week of June 3rd, 2024

Prerequisites

None

Suggested Grade Level

Grades 9-12

Course description

This is an online course for intermediate speakers of Greek as a foreign language, awarding a 0.5 credit in Greek Language and the Arts. In this course, students will discover about the birth and origins of western theater in religious rituals, and will comprehend its prominent place in Athenian society of the time. Together we will unlock Aristotle’s definition of Tragedy and we will be able to imagine the collective theatrical experience of the Athenian audiences through a study of its unique architecture and performance conventions. Then, we will study the play of Antigone by Sophocles and take a closer look at its themes and basic literary schemes. We will learn in practice, by playing and performing excerpts from the play, about its beautiful language, rhythm and dramatic tensions. Finally, we will understand why this powerful play is still performed after 2,400 years and why in Ancient Athens, theater going was an essential part of a holistic moral, civic and spiritual education.