The Greek Plays 2: Penelope and The OresteiaEllen McLaughlin Barnard CollegeFebruary 14, 2025 - February 14, 2025
11:00am - 1:00pm -
Columbia University
As part of its Classical Dialogues series, the Classical Studies Graduate Program at Columbia University is pleased to welcome Ellen McLaughlin, Adjunct Associate Professor of English at Barnard College. On February 14, from 11am-1pm, she will discuss her book The Greek Plays 2 (TCG, 2024), which "is a new collection of adaptations and modern re-imaginings of classic Greek tragedies." Introduction by Helene Foley (Barnard College) with commentary by Shannon Oliver White (Columbia University). Location: Room 223 Milbank Hall.
Drawing on works by Sophocles, Homer, Aeschylus and more, these plays breathe fresh life into timeless questions and conflicts that still feel startlingly relevant today: Can civilization survive humanity's basest instincts? What do we do about the human compulsion toward violence? Are we irreversibly transformed by the trauma of war and political strife, or is there a chance we can recover a part of our former selves? This collection includes the plays Ajax in Iraq (Sophocles), Kissing the Floor (Sophocles), Penelope (Homer), Mercury's Footpath (Euripides) and The Oresteia (based on Aeschylus's trilogy: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides).
In its Classical Dialogues series, the interdepartmental Classical Studies Graduate Program CLST at Columbia University invites authors of recent work in ancient studies that is exemplary for the kind of study that CLST aims to foster. All faculty and students at Columbia and beyond are cordially invited. CLST students are required to read carefully at least one chapter or article in advance and prepare questions and comments for discussion.