Greek and Roman Comedy
Greek and Roman Comedy A survey of the comic playwrights of Greece (Aristophanes and Menander) and Rome (Plautus and Terence) in light of their ancient social, political, and religious contexts as well as modern theoretical approaches to laughter (including psychoanalysis and structural anthropology). We will trace enduring aspects of the comic tradition that can be found in both Greece and Rome and also look forward to Renaissance and modern comedy. These include: the nature of the comic hero; the patterns of comic plots; the dependence of comedy on language; the comic poet's concern with questions of freedom and slavery, desire and repression.
Greek and Roman Comedy A survey of the comic playwrights of Greece (Aristophanes and Menander) and Rome (Plautus and Terence) in light of their ancient social, political, and religious contexts as well as modern theoretical approaches to laughter (including psychoanalysis and structural anthropology). We will trace enduring aspects of the comic tradition that can be found in both Greece and Rome and also look forward to Renaissance and modern comedy. These include: the nature of the comic hero; the patterns of comic plots; the dependence of comedy on language; the comic poet's concern with que …Read more
I really liked this course! Professor Pavlos is super engaging and the work felt very valuable. The exams were a little tough, but if you studied you were fine. I would definitely take it again, and would recommend it to anyone, as long as they like to read.
Professor Sfyroeras was an incredible instructor. It was an extremely challenging semester for me, and every single time I asked Sfyroeras for an accommodation he provided it for me and offered to work with me through any issues that I might've had in the class. He was incredibly supportive and so clearly wanted all of his students to succeed, his lectures are very organized (even though he goes a little off-book sometimes), and he has so much passion for what he's teaching and clearly finds it enjoyable.
Professor Sfyroeras was an incredible instructor. It was an extremely challenging semester for me, and every single time I asked Sfyroeras for an accommodation he provided it for me and offered to work with me through any issues that I might've had in the class. He was incredibly supportive and so clearly wanted all of his students t …Read more
This class ROCKED. Pavlos conducted this class as a standard lecture, wherein he mostly talked at us to give us the historical context as well as fill in details that we wouldn't have known from just the texts. Two students were assigned to present two sides of an argument on the plays for each Friday discussion, and that's when conversation among students really opened up. To be honest, one could get by without actually having read the plays for the M/W lectures, but it was glaring who wasn't prepared come Friday. Pavlos is one of my favorite professors that I have had classes with at Middlebury. His passion for the texts and compassion for his students made me really sad that I didn't major in Classics. It's a good course for any humanities student to sink their teeth into. 10/10
This class ROCKED. Pavlos conducted this class as a standard lecture, wherein he mostly talked at us to give us the historical context as well as fill in details that we wouldn't have known from just the texts. Two students were assigned to present two sides of an argument on the plays for each Friday discussion, and that's when conv …Read more
Prof. Sfyroeras is an extremely kind and knowledgeable professor. Each week he had us read a comedy, and in lecture we would talk about it and it's relevance to ancient greek and roman life. The comedies were definitely a good amount of reading, but never too much for me. They were also all quite interesting, along with the lectures about them. The discussion section involved 2 students every week presenting two different sides of an argument about the comedy. It was actually really interesting to talk about. My favorite part of these discussions was that Prof. Sfyroeras gave questions that both sides could make an argument for (even though some were easier than others). Overall, I would recommend taking this class!
Prof. Sfyroeras is an extremely kind and knowledgeable professor. Each week he had us read a comedy, and in lecture we would talk about it and it's relevance to ancient greek and roman life. The comedies were definitely a good amount of reading, but never too much for me. They were also all quite interesting, along with the lectures …Read more
Two presentations were required during the discussion, two papers due, one midterm, and one final to memorize books and quotes. The readings were interesting. Everything is duable. The professor is sometimes hard to understand. Gives extensions if needed.