San Diego Community College District

The inaugural Constance M. Carroll Humanities Institute Lecture Series at Mesa College will be held at 3 p.m. on March 18, 2021 and will feature Chancellor Constance M. Carroll discussing Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Athenian Politics.

This lecture explores the complex role of tragedy as a unique art form in ancient Greece, especially in the great city-state and later empire of Athens. In addition to its great poetic and literary impact, tragedy also was associated with contemporary politics, sometimes mirroring the contexts and tensions of the military, judicial, and civic issues of the day. Nowhere was the nexus between tragedy and politics clearer than in the plays of the great tragedian, Aeschylus. His most complete work, The Oresteia, which is the subject of the lecture, demonstrates this close relationship in a compelling manner.
Please register in advance for the lecture series.