Description
This week, take some time to watch the second episode in this series, which focuses on the Decline of Athens in its effect on Theater in the Greek world.
This is a really cool continuation of this story, again with a wealth of detail and shot in beautiful locations around Greece. The link is below.
BBC Greatest Show on Earth: Episode Two: KingsLinks to an external site.
Then come back here to take part in the Group Discussion.
STEP ONE:
Watch the episode. How much of this information is something you might remember from the reading, or the Canvas notes? Write down the things you recognize and the things you may not. Write down the things that you find most interesting, and the things that might leave you asking more questions.
STEP TWO:
Then, come back here and leave a comment answering the following questions:
We know that the Greek Theater era lasted for hundreds of years, during which thousands of plays were written by hundreds of poets, many of whom were loved and respected during their lifetimes. And yet, today we only have the plays of three writers of Tragedy-Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides-and two writers of Comedy, Aristophanes and Menander. What do you think of the decision, made by Greek scholars and authorities after the Peloponnesian War, to put the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides in the public archives, but not to do the same for so many other writers? Make sure to reference the video when leaving your answer.
Aristophanes was the best known writer of Old Comedy, which used Satire to deal with very serious issues. In his play Lysistrata, he uses the comedic premise of a Sex Strike by the women of Athens and Sparta to attack Athenian involvement in the horrors of the Peloponnesian War. Can you think of another piece of art, be it film, theater, or TV, that deals with such a serious topic in such a comedic way? Do you think this is a good example of Satire, or is it maybe a different kind of Comedy?
