Learn how society, civilization and democracy were captured by three great tragic playwrights. Join AARP CT, Dr. Gil Gigliotti and attendees from around the country for this FREE, virtual series taking place on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 1:00pm.
In this series we’ll discuss how the works of the three great tragic playwrights – Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides – reflect the glories and tensions of Athenian society during the remarkable 5th century BCE between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.
The youngest of the three, Euripides, has no memory of the glorious triumph, celebrated by Aeschylus, of a civilized, and moral, democracy. Influenced by the sophists, his plays reflect the moral relativity displayed by an over-reaching Athenian empire wielding its power against other Greek city-states simply because it can…well, at least until Sparta wins the Peloponnesian War. (Oops, spoiler alert!)
