Short Paper #2:  Prometheus Bound, ElectraPlays, Ajax, Philoctetes, Iphigenia at Aulis, Hippolytus

Step one:

Read my comments on your first paper!!! Come talk to me if you find the comments unclear or confusing, or if you want to discuss strategies (or anything else).

Goals:

• Aim at 5-6 pages (unless you've chosen to write three short papers, in which case aim at 3-4). That means: fairly concise, to the point, non-expansive. Make some good points on a focused set of material, and you're done. (It's okay if the paper runs longer -- that often happens, especially if the thoughts are good! -- but don't set out to write a longer paper.)
• Write a formal essay. Slang, misspellings, mis-construction of grammar should not appear. Strive however not simply for a journalistic, matter-of-fact style, but for elegance of expression.
• Construct an argument. Make sure that you have a thesis, and that you back up your thesis with specific citations and details from the text. [Cite by the line numbers in your translation: e.g. "In the Hymn to Zeus, Aeschylus writes of the pathei mathos, the suffering by which humans learn (Agamemnon, 179)."]
• Concentrate on the ancient text. You can of course read interpretative or other secondary materials relevant to your topic. But this is not a research paper, and there should be few (if any) references to sources other than the plays themselves. I want your thoughts, your reaction to the play you choose to write on. (You'll have a chance to work on a research paper topic later in the term.)

• You're welcome to choose your own topic. But if you do, I urge you to consult with me first. Either come see me in my office (during office hours, or call or write to suggest an appointment), or sketch the elements of the proposed topic in an e-mail-- the sooner the better!

 
• Below are some suggested topics, to be used or adapted as you see fit.

 
1. Look at the ideas for the first paper, some of which could be profitably pursued for these other plays (as, for instance, the question on the choral odes).
2. In Emily Vermeule's introduction to Euripides' Electra, she mentions the "double vision" of Electra in this play, citing as an example her image of Aegisthus as opposed to the image of the messenger's account of the man: "this double vision is true of the whole play, as Electra's image of the truth, and the truth itself, stubbornly refuse to match." Find other instances of this "double vision," and discuss generally its importance for our understanding of the play.
3. Detail some examples where Euripides, in his Electra, strays close to (or simply steps into!) comedy or parody. Think hard about how these "comic" elements fit into the play: in what contexts, exactly, are they introduced into the play? what is the effect on the scene, on the characterization, on the audience's reactions to the tragic suffering being presented? Now pick 2 or 3 of your best examples, and write about how these nearly-comic elements work in the play. Make sure to keep close to the text, and to consider the comic elements in their specific context.
4. We've read a lot about plays with a cycle of violence, usually somehow centering around families and the problematics of the kinship relation. Often we have posed the question, is anyone really learning from this bloodshed? But in Sophocles' Ajax, as some have read it, Odysseus seems perhaps to come to an important new understanding because of the tragic loss. Is this a correct view of Odysseus, and of the dynamics of the play? Prove or disprove. [Based on a talking point written by Karen Seaver]
5. In our discussion in class (to which add the details under class notes on the class web pages), I suggested that Philoctetes is like a man from whom all culture has been stripped away. Locate one or two scenes in Sophocles' Philoctetes where this de-culturalization seems central to the action. Discuss whySophocles chooses to depict Philoctetes in this light: what does it do to our perception of Neoptolemus? of Odysseus? of the underlying themes and issues central to the play?
6. Explore the theme of marriage in Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis. Be sure to keep close to what the text itself says about this theme, but do also consider how marriage does or does not link into the other major themes of the play.
7. The figure of the nurse in Euripides' Hippolytus, surprisingly, has more lines than any other character in the play excepting Hippolytus. Why does Euripides elevate what seems like a minor character in the myth? What is so important about this figure that she deserves such extensive treatment? Study hard the lines of the nurse, and try to come to some conclusions as to how exactly her character may be rather central to the issues of the play. Remember to let your comments grow out of specific observations regarding what the nurse says in the play!

• Please come see me to talk about the paper, if you're the least bit inclined. Even if your thoughts are wholly undigested, it can be useful to try to brainstorm with another interested person-- and you can be sure that I'm interested!
• Read over the paper aloud to a friend (preferably someone in the class) before turning it in-- this is simplest, best way I know to catch infelicities of wording. It doesn't take long, and often will substantially improve your writing.
• Due in class on Monday, March 22.
• I will listen to arguments for extensions, but only if you come to me before the due date of the paper; otherwise, you lose a full grade for each day the paper is turned in beyond the due date.