2. Professors
  3. MERIANI Angelo
  4. Teaching

HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE

Angelo MERIANI HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE

0312800044
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
EQF6
CULTURAL HERITAGE SCIENCES
2025/2026

YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2017
SPRING SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
945LESSONS
ANGELO MERIANI T Curriculum
Objectives
THE COURSE AIMS TO INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SPECIFIC TOOLS FOR THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND UNDERSTANDING OF A SIGNIFICANT SELECTION OF GREEK DRAMATURGICAL TEXTS AND FOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD OF STUDY.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. STUDENTS WILL
-KNOW THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE HISTORY OF GREEK THEATRE (TRAGEDY, COMEDY, SATYR PLAY), THE THEATRICAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE GREEK POLIS (STRUCTURE OF THEATRE BUILDINGS, ORGANISATION OF PERFORMANCES IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE, THE ESSENTIALS OF STAGING: MASKS, SET DESIGN, COSTUMES, ACTING, MUSIC, DANCE), THE CRITICAL PROFILES OF THE CANONICAL AUTHORS OF GREEK DRAMATURGICAL LITERATURE (AESCHYLUS, SOPHOCLES, EURIPIDES, ARISTOPHANES, MENANDER), A SIGNIFICANT SELECTION OF GREEK THEATRICAL TEXTS IN ITALIAN TRANSLATION;
-BE COMPETENT IN THE STUDY, CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF GREEK DRAMATURGICAL TEXTS, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THEIR POETIC AND IDEOLOGICAL CONTENTS, TO THE DYNAMICS OF COMMUNICATION AND STAGING IN THE CONTEXT OF ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND POLITICAL-SOCIAL HISTORY, TO THE DEFINITION OF CHARACTERS;
-KNOW THE BASIC METHODOLOGIES AND THE ESSENTIAL TOOLS OF RESEARCH IN THIS PARTICULAR SUBJECT AREA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO TELEMATIC RESOURCES;
-BE ABLE TO ORIENT THEMSELVES AMONG THE PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE DISCIPLINE, TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEATRE AND THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF GREEK CULTURE (SCIENCE, MUSIC, PHILOSOPHY, FIGURATIVE ARTS), IN THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP THEIR CRITICAL SKILLS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
-ANALYSING, UNDERSTANDING AND COMMENTING ON GREEK DRAMATURGICAL TEXTS IN ITALIAN TRANSLATION, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE DYNAMICS OF STAGING;
-UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE HISTORY OF THEATRE AND THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF GREEK CULTURE (SCIENCE, MUSIC, PHILOSOPHY, FIGURATIVE ARTS), WITHIN THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK OF THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD;
-EXPLORING, ALSO IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER STUDENTS, PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THE DISCIPLINE;
-SETTING UP BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, ALSO USING TELEMATIC TOOLS.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS. STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
-ORIENT THEMSELVES AMONG PROBLEMS AND INTERPRETATIVE PERSPECTIVES IN THE FIELD OF THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE;
-SEEK TO IDENTIFY PERSONAL PATHS OF INVESTIGATION OF SPECIFIC PROBLEMS;
-HAVE A CRITICAL APPROACH TO GREEK DRAMATURGICAL TEXTS AND THE VARIOUS CONTEXTS IN WHICH THEY WERE STAGED, AND REFLECT ON THEM INDEPENDENTLY AND CRITICALLY.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS. STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
-COMMUNICATE, IN A CLEAR, CORRECT, ORDERLY FORM, AND IN APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE, THE CONTENT AND PROBLEMS OF THE DISCIPLINE AND THEIR OWN PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON IT;
-COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF THEIR ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF GREEK DRAMATURGICAL TEXTS;
-- TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE STUDY OF THE SUBJECT MATTER.

LEARNING SKILLS. STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
-MASTER THE CONTENTS OF THE DISCIPLINE IN SUCH A WAY AS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES INDEPENDENTLY;
-DELVE INTO THE STUDY OF GREEK LITERARY TEXTS IN ITALIAN TRANSLATION, INCLUDING THOSE OF GENRES AND HISTORICAL PERIODS DIFFERENT FROM THOSE STUDIED DURING THE COURSE.

Prerequisites
1. MASTERY OF WRITTEN AND ORAL ITALIAN (ABILITY TO READ AND UNDERSTAND WRITTEN TEXTS, TO LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND ORAL SPEECHES, TO SUMMARISE THEM EXTEMPORANEOUSLY AND WITH LINGUISTIC ACCURACY, ORALLY AND / OR IN WRITING; ABILITY TO PRODUCE, WITH ADEQUATE LANGUAGE SKILLS, WRITTEN AND ORAL REPORTS ON SPECIFIC TOPICS); 2. BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD; 3. ABILITY TO USE A HISTORICAL ATLAS.
Contents
THE COURSE WILL FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING PONTS:
1. OUTLINES OF HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREEK DRAMATIC LITERATURE; 2. READING OF SELECTED PASSAGES FROM TRAGEDIES, COMEDIES AND SATYRICAL DRAMAS, WITH CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY; 3. READING OF SELECTED THEORETICAL TEXTS OF GREEK AUTHORS ON THEATRE AND THEATRICAL POETRY.
Teaching Methods
22 LECTURES, BASED ON THE TEXTS IN THE PROGRAMME: 21 OF 2 HOURS, 1 OF 1 HOUR: 45 HOURS IN TOTAL; STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE ALL TEXTS AVAILABLE FROM THE FIRST LESSON; STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS OF ASPECTS AND PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE COURSE TOPICS; ATTENDANCE IS NOT COMPULSORY. THOSE STUDENTS WHO DECIDE NOT TO ATTEND THE COURSE ARE IN ANY CASE REQUIRED TO PREPARE THE PROGRAMME CARRIED OUT BY THE PROFESSOR, STUDYING ALL THE REFERENCE TEXTS. THE LECTURES WILL BE DELIVERED IN ITALIAN; DURING THEM NUMEROUS TEXTS IN ANCIENT GREEK WILL BE READ, TRANSLATED INTO ITALIAN AND COMMENTED ON.
Verification of learning
ORAL EXAMINATION. THE TEST WILL CONSIST OF A DISCUSSION LASTING APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES ON THE COURSE CONTENT AND THE TEXTS LISTED IN THE ‘REFERENCE TEXTS' SECTION. THE DISCUSSION WILL START WITH A TOPIC PROPOSED BY THE CANDIDATE.
DURING THE EXAMINATION WILL BE EVALUATED THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE COURSE CONTENTS, THE ABILITY TO USE AND PRESENT THE ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE WITH AWARENESS, INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGMENT, AND APPROPRIATE EXPRESSION.
Texts
1. ARISTOFANE, LE GRANDI COMMEDIE. NUVOLE - LISISTRATA - RANE, NEWTON COMPTON EDITORI, ROMA 2022 (ISBN 9788822766892); 2. M. DI MARCO (A CURA DI), STORIA DEL TEATRO GRECO, CAROCCI, ROMA 2020 (ISBN 9788829003075). M. GIOVANNELLI, ARISTOFANE NOSTRO CONTEMPORANEO. LA COMMEDIA ANTICA IN SCENA OGGI, CAROCCI, ROMA 2018 (ISBN 9788843088973)
More Information
CLARIFICATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS COULD BE GIVEN, ON REQUEST OF THE STUDENTS, AT THE END OF THE LECTURES; STUDENTS COULD ALSO WRITE TO THE PROFESSOR VIA EMAIL: A.MERIANI@UNISA.IT.
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