Readings in Greek Literature (301-0-1)

Topic

Prometheus Bound: Theology and Technology in Fifth

Instructors

Marianne Hopman
847/491-8361
Kresge Hall 4361
Office Hours: Tu/Th from 3:30-4:30pm

Meeting Info

Kresge 4364 Classics Sem Rm: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

As our 21st-century human lives become increasingly enmeshed with technology, Prometheus Bound, performed in Athens about 2,500 years ago, offers a defamiliarizing lens to reflect on the role of artefacts in human societies. The tragedy dramatizes the conflict between Zeus, newly installed ruler of the gods, and the Titan Prometheus, dispenser of fire and inventor of all human techniques. As Prometheus gets brutally bound to a rock at the edges of the world, then gradually imagines a way to negotiate his freedom, Prometheus Bound offers "one of the greatest plays about tyranny and oppression that the theater knows" (R. Rehm), as well as a study in empathy, and a demonstration of the powers of human language and intellect. Its original production would have amounted to a spectacular performance, complete with a flying entry by the river Oceanus, a virtuoso piece of solo dancing by the cow-maiden Io, and a terrifying earthquake. We will read most of the tragedy in Greek and discuss its significance in its original fifth-century BCE context, when architects, sculptors, potters, and doctors came to play an increasingly important cultural and social role in Athens.

Class Materials (Required)

Griffith, Mark, ed. (1983) Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521270113.

Scully, J. and C.J. Herington, transl. (1990) Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195061659.

Class Notes

There is no waitlist for this course.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area