Greek Tragedy
In a 3-4 page essay I want you to respond to one of the essay questions. In your essay I want you to explore how the tragedy of your choice has been adapted, what similar themes are shared between the Greek version and the modern version and how the modern version reflects the authors philosophy and political beliefs. Your paper must contain a thesis statement and follow the formal essay structure. Here is a sample of a formal paper outline.1) How doesSophocles’ Oedipus Rex compare to Rita Dove’s The Darker Face of the Earth? Why does she choose to set her play in the Antebellum South? Why make Oedipus a slave instead of a king? What are the political and racial implications of this change? And how do those changes relate to American culture?2) What is the Infernal Machine? Why did Cocteau use this title? How does it connect to Greek themes like fate vs. character? How does the title connect to the role of the gods in Greek tragedy? How are the God’s depicted in his play? Are they active characters or are they absent?3) How is Cocteau’s Oedipus different from Sophocles? Is he depicted as hubristic and deeply flawed? Or, is he more naive and vain? Is he a representation of Freud’s famous theory? ) Cocteu’s play premiered in 1934. Do some research on the rise of fascism in Europe during the 1930’s. How does Cocteau allude to the rise of dictatorial power? Which characters are dictatorial and why?5) How does gender intersect with political agency and activism in Anouillh’s Antigone and Cocteau’s? Is Antigone an archetype for female rebellion? Do some research on both playwrights and why the chose to modernize Antigone?
