This course offers an overview of Greek tragedy and comedy illuminated by careful examination of these plays: Aeschylus' Persians and Agamemnon, Sophocles' Oedipus and Antigone, Euripides' Trojan Women and Bacchae, and Aristophanes' Lysistrata, Clouds, and Frogs. All of these plays are significant documents not only in the history of theater but also as poetic explorations of social and moral issues, including the calamity of war, the clash between state power and the individual conscience, the treatment of women and children, and the nature of personal responsibility. Suggested Reading The plays that will be discussed in class.