Undergraduate Course: Roman Tragedy (CLTR10031)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Over-the-top, violent, heart-rending, tragedy was massively popular at Rome: from Ennius in the Middle Republic to Ovid in the Early Principate to Seneca in the Neronian court, major Latin authors wrote, and were famous for, their tragic plays. This course will trace the development of this crucial Roman genre. We will read, in translation, the fragmentary remains of the republican and Augustan tragedians, four plays by Seneca, and the anonymous Octavia with due consideration to issues of genre, literary technique, dramaturgy, and ideology. |
| Course description |
In the first half of the course, we will study, in translation, the fragments and testimonia of the republican and Augustan tragedians (Livius Andronicus, Naevius, Ennius, Pacuvius, Accius, Varius Rufus, Ovid) and familiarise ourselves with the methodical challenges of reading this fragmentary material. In the second half of the course, we will move onto the tragedies that survive from the first century CE, reading five of our ten fully extant plays: Seneca¿s Medea, Troades, Hercules Furens, and Thyestes and the anonymous Octavia.
The wide range of authors and texts will provide students with a good understanding of the genre and familiarise them with the different historical and social circumstances in which they were written and performed. Seminars will aim to stimulate critical debate beyond the texts and to engage the students with broader questions about ethics, politics and gender. Students will further develop their close reading as well as their ability to understand abstract concepts and to process complex information.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass in Classical Literature 2: Greek and Roman Epic (CLTR08008), or equivalent experience at the discretion of the Course Organiser. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics, History or Archaeology at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1,000 word Literature Review (20%)
3,500 word Essay (40%)
Exam
2 hour paper (40%) |
| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours for this course or by appointment. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- reflect critically on the set text(s), and their literary and historical context.
- analyse and reflect critically upon the particular problems associated with the set text(s) and of the modern debate on the text(s), and to take an independent and well-argued stance on such issues.
- understand the challenges of reading texts composed in the context of one language and culture through the medium of another language in a different cultural context.
- conduct a sustained individual enquiry into a particular aspect of the topic in a research-led, argument-driven coursework essay and develop the skill to analyse material and textual sources for the ancient world in a written form.
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Reading List
Key texts:
- Fragmentary Republican Latin II. Edited and translated by S. Goldberg and G. Manuwald, Harvard 2018.
- Remains of Old Latin. Livius Andronicus, Naevius, Pacuvius, Accius. Edited and translated by E. H. Warmington, Harvard 1936.
- Seneca. Six tragedies. A new translation by E. Wilson, Oxford 2010.
Resources:
- Boyle, A.J. (1997). Tragic Seneca. An Essay in the Tragic Tradition, London.
- Boyle, A.J. (2006). Introduction to Roman Tragedy, London.
- Conte, G.B. (1994). Latin literature. A history. Translated by J. Solodow, revised by D. Fowler and G. Most, Baltimore.
- Littlewood, C. (2004). Self-representation and Illusion in Senecan Tragedy, Oxford.
- Manuwald, G. (2011). Roman Republican Theatre, Cambridge.
- McDonald, M. and Walton, M. (eds.) (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Theatre, Cambridge.
- Schiesaro, A. (2003). The Passions at Play. Thyestes and the Dynamics of Senecan Drama, Cambridge.
- Trinacty, C. (2014). Senecan Tragedy and the Reception of Augustan Poetry, Oxford. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Thorough understanding of Roman tragedy and various tragedies
Close reading and critical evaluation of demanding texts
Ability to express an informed opinion and to communicate effectively with audiences of peers and experienced scholars
Capacity to produce tight, well-evidenced and clearly expressed arguments in written form
Ability to evaluate and synthesize scholarly debates
Time-management skills |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jesse Hill
Tel:
Email: jesse.hill@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sara Dennison
Tel: (0131 6)50 2501
Email: Sara.Dennison@ed.ac.uk |
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