Power and Morality in Greek Literature

This seminar explores the problem of power and morality, or the tension between the pursuit of rule and empire and the pursuit of excellence, through an examination of classic works of Greek literature. The intense experience of living and acting together in the Greek city-states inspired a remarkable degree of reflection on questions of human nature and many texts that have endured as sources of self-knowledge and humane critique in subsequent cultures. Students will engage works from four distinctly Greek literary traditions- epic poetry, tragedy, history, and philosophy.