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Course
Description
From the time of its first production
in 405 BCE, when it was awarded first prize, Frogs
has been  one
of the most popular of Aristophanes' plays. Restaged in many
dramatic productions, it has also been enjoyed by countless
readers in both English and Greek and studied often by
scholars.
In this course, we read the entirety
of the play in
Greek, discuss some
interpretive essays on it, and act out some of its scenes in
the original language and meter.
The subject of the play is the
expedition of the god Dionysus to the Underworld in order to
retrieve for Athens the tragic poet Euripides, who had died
in 406 BCE. The plot falls into two major sections: (1) the
journey of Dionysus and his slave Xanthias to the
Underworld, and (2) a poetical contest in Hades between
Aeschylus and Euripides.
Apart from the intrinsic appeal of its
many humorous and even hilarious lines and scenes, the
Frogs also invites reflection on such topics as :
metatheater and role-playing, the relationship betweeen
comedy and tragedy, the socio-political function of drama,
the meaning(s) of obscenity, and the ritual aspects of
theater. These are some of the topics which will form the
basis for class discussions and which students will explore
further in their research papers for the
course.
Course
Requirements
(Follow the
links for detailed descriptions)
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1.
READING
Assignments will include the preparation of
passages in Greek for each class. Class Performance
in will compose
20%
of the overall course grade.
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2.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
REPORTS
A Course Packet containing a selection of scholarly
articles which provide background and discuss
issues of interpretation for the play will be
distributed. Each student will post a critical
review of two articles on the Course
Blackboard site
and other students will post comments on the
review. Course Packet reviews will compose
20%
of the overall course grade.
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3.
QUIZZES AND FINAL
PAPER
Quizzes:
There will be three take-home quizzes, one on each
third of the play. Quiz grades will compose
30%
of the overall course grade. In order to take the
quizzes, you'll have to have the font
SPIonic
on your computer.
Final
Paper: A research
paper of approximately 10 pages will be due on the
last day of exam period. Paper grade will compose
30%
of the overall course grade.
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Follow this link to access
the Syllabus
(Course
Schedule)
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Follow this link to access
additional WebSites
for the course
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Image credits: Dorota's FrogLand,
Jana Eklund on Frogland;
Sandra Loosemore's The
Froggy Page
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