Greek and Roman Epic Poetry Would Achilles and Hector have risked their lives and sacred honor had they understood human life and the Olympian gods as Homer portrays them in the Iliad? Why do those gods decide to withdraw from men altogether following the Trojan War, and why is Odysseus the man Athena chooses to help her carry out that project? And why, according to the Roman poet Vergil, do these gods command Aeneas, a defeated Trojan, to found an Italian town that will ultimately conquer the Greek cities that conquered Troy, replacing the Greek polis with a universal empire that will end all wars of human freedom? Through close study of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Vergil's Aeneid, we explore how the epic tradition helped shape Greece and Rome, and define their contributions to European civilization.

Advanced Readings in Greek Literature: Homer's /Iliad/ Readings in major authors.

Greek Tragedy A survey of selected tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, exploring the relation between tragedy and political freedom and empire in fifth century B.C. Athens. The course examines the tragic poets' use of traditional Greek myths to question not only the wisdom of contemporary Athenian imperialism but also traditional Greek views on relations between the sexes; between the family and the city; between man's presumed dignity and his belief in gods. Mythical and historical background is supplied through additional readings from Homer and Thucydides. The course asks how the tragedians managed to raise publicly, in the most solemn religious settings, the kind of questions for which Socrates was later put to death. The course culminates in a reading of Aristotle's Poetics.

Beginning Greek I This course is a rapid and intensive introduction to classical Greek for beginners. The aim of the course is to prepare students to read the major authors of Greek literature. In addition to a systematic study of grammar and syntax, we will also read excerpts from a variety of ancient authors.

Readings in Greek Literature I Readings in major authors. Students should have had some formal study of Greek and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level.

History of Classical Literature  A comprehensive overview of the major literary, historical, and philosophical works of Greece and Rome. Greek authors studied include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Herodotus, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle. Roman authors include Lucretius, Cicero, Livy, Vergil, Petronius, and Tacitus. Required of senior majors in Classics/Classical Studies.

Readings in Greek Literature II Readings in major authors. Students should have had some formal study of Greek and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level.

History of Classical Literature  A comprehensive overview of the major literary, historical, and philosophical works of Greece and Rome. Greek authors studied include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Herodotus, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle. Roman authors include Lucretius, Cicero, Livy, Vergil, Petronius, and Tacitus. Required of senior majors in Classics/Classical Studies (see CLAS 0701 below) and open to all interested students with some background in Greek and Roman literature, history, or philosophy.

History of Classical Literature  A comprehensive overview of the major literary, historical, and philosophical works of Greece and Rome. Greek authors studied include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Herodotus, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle. Roman authors include Lucretius, Cicero, Livy, Vergil, Petronius, and Tacitus. Required of senior majors in Classics/Classical Studies (see CLAS 0701) and open to all interested students with some background in Greek and Roman literature, history, or philosophy.

Readings in Latin Literature II: Vergil’s Aeneid* Readings in major authors.

Euripides and Athens Was the tragic genius of Euripides (480?-406 BC) corrupted by the atheistic rationalism of the sophists and the philosophy of Socrates (470-399 BC), as their Athenian contemporary, the comic poet Aristophanes, alleged? Nietzsche makes that view the basis of his attack on Socrates in The Birth of Tragedy (1872). Or, was Euripides in fact "the most tragic of the poets," as Aristotle argued in his Poetics, written during the half century after Euripides' death in 406 BC? In this course we discuss twelve of Euripides' extant plays in the context of 5th c. BC Greek political and intellectual history, with the help of Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and some modern critics.

Intermediate Greek Students should have had some formal study of Greek and should consult with the instructor during the first week of classes to determine whether or not the class is at the appropriate level. Readings in major authors.

Advanced Readings in Greek Literature II: Greek Cosmology–Hesiod and Plato Readings in major authors.

Marc Witkin

Reviews and ratings for Marc Witkin at Middlebury College.Marc Witkin teaches Greek and Roman Epic Poetry, Adv Readings Greek Lit I, Greek Tragedy and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Marc Witkin good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Professor Witkin is VERY enthusiastic about the material, and the level of insight from his lectures reflects as much. The 90 minute lectures definitely felt slow some days, but it really came down to if I had done the reading up to the required point, and how invested I was in the particular play. Grading is for the most part done via participation and attendance. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and would absolutely take it again!

Marc Witkin is a nice guy, but I strongly disliked his teaching style. His lectures made no sense, along with his discussion prompts and exam prompts. He requires a crazy amount of reading each week and has no interest in hearing what students have to say. He accommodates no discussion in his classes. 

Witkin is a very passionate classics teacher and he definitely knows what he is talking about very well, but his lectures are a little too dry for my taste. I found myself somewhat dreading going to the lectures out of boredom, but I enjoyed the discussion sections where he would engage with our comments and questions quite thoroughly. Overall, if you aren't interested in the classics or the Illiad, Odyssey, or Aeneid, you probably shouldn't take this class.