Tagged: Sophocles

Tonight: Theater of War pre-show talk, after-show reception

From Erin McDonagh (Core ’08, CAS ’10), member of the EnCore Steering Committee: As Core alums, we all know that no one understood war or tragedy like the ancient Greeks. In Theater of War, actors read excerpts from Sophocles’ tragedies Ajax and Philoctetes, with the aim of drawing attention to the challenges faced by veterans […]

Six Quotes on Democracy

Prof. Samons: “How would Plato describe America? We are primed for tyranny.” “Plato would be so appalled by the television and internet that he would commend us for keeping it together this long.” Prof. Esposito: “Plato wants to know what Sophocles is trying to teach us in Ajax or Hecuba. It is not quite clear […]

Another response to the A.R.T. Ajax

Prof. David Roochnik, Core seminar leader, lecturer, and professor in the Department of Philosophy, wrote in to the Core blog to share this thoughts about the production of Ajax Core students and faculty attended this weekend. Interesting production. Brilliant idea to use the video screens for the chorus. But the disconnected speeches they uttered were, […]

Ajax in Afghanistan, revisited

Professor Steve Esposito, a longtime member of the Core Humanities faculty and associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Classics, writes about a recent Core excursion to a new theatrical version of Ajax… This weekend, 85 Core students and 10 members of the Core faculty attended the very successful production of Sophocles’ […]

Tonight: Sarah Benson at the BU Castle

The American Repertory Theater is putting up a production of Sophocles’ Ajax this month, a world-premiere of this particular translation. This evening, Obie Award-winning director Sarah Benson will speak about her experience directing classical Greek plays professionally, and about her work on the upcoming production. This event is part of the Core-sponsored series of lectures […]

From a CC101 debate on democracy

The problem with storytelling is that it appeals to the desirous part of the soul and not the rational — that’s why Socrates has such a problem with it. So, my question is: Would it be just to ban Sophocles and his plays in the city of Athens, when they clearly show a deep understanding […]