Revenge and Justice in Ancient Greek Drama

Payback. Getting even. Revenge. Call it what you will, we’ve probably all wanted it at one time or another. The impulse for revenge is universal – as are the personal and social problems that emerge in its aftermath. If this impulse can’t be eliminated, can it be controlled or overcome in some way? Aeschylus confronts this question – and a host of related ones – in his trilogy, The Oresteia. Together, the three plays present the story of Agamemnon’s horrific homecoming from the Trojan War and its destructive aftermath involving his wife, Clytemnestra and their children, Electra and Orestes. Sophocles and Euripides, the other great Greek tragedians, have also written plays about these characters and events. Read alongside Aeschylus’ trilogy, these stories deepen our appreciation for this ancient myth and the nature of revenge, justice, and human tragedy.

After discussing Robert Fagles’ translation of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, we’ll turn to Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ Orestes, both translated by Canadian poet and classicist, Anne Carson. Her translation of Sophocles’ Electra will be performed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival during the 2012 season.

LEADER

Hunter Dunn teaches at the Cranbrook School in Michigan and has also worked as a trainer and consultant for the Great Books Foundation. He is a graduate of the M.A. program at St. John’s College.

BOOKS

Participants are required to obtain the specified editions in order to facilitate the group’s ability to find and cite portions of the text during discussion.

Aeschylus, The Oresteia, Trans.
Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics (1984)
ISBN-10: 0140443339
ISBN-13: 978-0140443332

An Oresteia, Trans. Anne Carson.
Faber & Faber, 1st edition (2010)
ISBN-10: 086547916X
ISBN-13: 978-0865479166

FEES

CAD$1250 includes five weekday morning seminars, lunches, guided art walks, afternoon speakers, five afternoon opera talks with Iain Scott, two receptions, a dinner and movie night, and a broad array of cultural and social activities.

ADDITIONAL THEATRE/CONCERT EXCURSIONS

Add-on Theatre/Concert Performances now available for Thursday evening, July 19, 2012 there are two options for either a Soulpepper Theatre Performance or Concert Performance: Toronto Summer Music Festival.

Soulpepper Theatre Evening

This option is for a Soulpepper Theatre production of The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon. In the historic Distillery District of Toronto. Click here for details.

Concert Performance: Toronto Summer Music Festival

This option is to attend the Toronto Summer Music Festival – a string ensemble performance of Romantic music by the Seoul Spring Festival Ensemble at the exquisite new Koerner Hall, a 10-minute walk from Victoria College. Rick Phillips will be giving a pre-concert talk. Click here for details.

Please let us know by July 1, 2012 which option you will choose as we only have a certain number of tickets on hand otherwise people will need to purchase any tickets on their own.

Also, please note participants who have registered before January 1, 2012 are eligible for a complimentary ticket for either Thursday July 19, 2012 performance providing no other discount has been applied. For those participants registered before January 1, 2012 please contact us by email to confirm your choice of performance.

ACCOMMODATIONS

You are responsible for booking your own accommodation.

Options include both single and double rooms available in Rowell Jackman Hall at Victoria College and the nearby Park Hyatt Hotel.

Victoria College. Book online at http://www.vicu.utoronto.ca/hospitality/SummerAccommodations/ReservationInformation/MakeAReservation.htm, or call 416-585-4524.

• Basic, air-conditioned rooms with shared baths. Includes hot breakfast. All linens provided.

Park Hyatt Hotel, 4-star hotel that is a 5-minute walk from Victoria College.

• Inquire about special rate for Classical Pursuits participants at the nearby Park Hyatt Hotel.
  www.parktoronto.hyatt.com 416-925-1234

DISCOUNTS – one per registrant

- Participants who have attended Toronto Pursuits at least five times receive a CAD $150 discount.
- Register with a friend, and if one or both are first time participants, each receives a CAD $150 discount.