Week 4: Lecture 1 Response

 I found a few things interesting in Lecture 1. First and foremost, it was really neat to see how the play was more of a political event than anything. I would have never imagined as many as fifteen thousand people saw the play at once at different festivals. I'd always envisioned smaller venues at night for mostly wealthier people, but it makes sense that plays were so open and performed during the day, seeing as Athens was extremely dedicated to the ideas of democracy (for men). I also has no clue that the plays were more political than for entertainment. I suppose my entire idea of plays is Shakespeare and his work, which aren't very political and are primarily for entertainment. I recognized the political elements of Antigone, but to think that plays used be a part of the political process is really interesting.

Another thing I found interesting was the geography and history, which I was not very knowledgeable about before the lecture. I was unaware that Thebes was a rival to Athens, or that Thebes was even a separate civilization. I did not know Athens was a direct democracy, either. I always thought it was representative, especially since the idea of democracy seems so modern to me. To learn that all those years ago (the NeatLine makes it seem especially long) direct democracy was finding its beginnings is fascinating.

Overall, I found the lecture to be eye-opening. It is difficult to picture Greek society in my mind, in part because it's so far back in time. I tend to overestimate some of their technology and culture, while underestimating other parts, so this was helpful.

Comments

  1. Critical Thinkers and WritersOctober 20, 2022 at 9:19 AM

    I'm glad the lecture helped make a place and time so distant to us a little bit more accessible. I actually think this is something Neatline can help with...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gema Sanchez GamezOctober 21, 2022 at 12:18 AM

    Hi Jaylen! I also didn't expected these plays to be performed for that many people. I thought that art was gate kept throughout history and only wealthy audiences were allowed to enjoy themselves and watch a show. The fact that these plays served as political education shows that the Greeks believed that every socioeconomic class should be educated politically.

    ReplyDelete

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