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The Hero in Ancient Greek CivilizationThe Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization: a free lectures series
Gregory Nagy, PhD, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature, Professor of Comparative Literature, and Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University
Kevin McGrath, PhD, Associate in Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University
The true “hero” of this ancient Greek literature course is the logos, or word, of logical reasoning, as activated by Socratic dialogue. The logos of dialogue requires careful thinking, realized in close reading and reflective writing. The last “word” read in the course comes from Plato’s memories of the last days of Socrates. These memories depend on a thorough understanding of concepts of the hero in all their varieties throughout the history of Greek civilization and beyond. This course is driven by a sequence of dialogues that lead to such an understanding, guiding the attentive reader through some of the major works of the ancient Greek classics, from Homer to Plato.
Watch the lectures as streaming video or audio. Each lecture is about 50 minutes.
Introductions and Initiations
Section
Section #1
Dialogue #2
Section
Section #2
The Poetics of Lament
Equal to a God
Section
Section #3
Equal to a daimôn
Patroklos as alter ego of Achilles
Section
Therapon; Hora
The Sign of the Hero
A Psychology of Signs in Ancient Greek Visual Arts
Section
Paean
The Return of the King (Physical and Metaphysical)
The Return of the King (Physical and Metaphysical); part II
Section
Nostos
Blessed are the Heroes
Section
Section #7
Longing for a hero
Better off Dead
Section
Revenant
Champions of dikê
Initiation into Tragedy
Section
Niké
Birth of a Polis
The "Swan Song" of Sophocles
Section
Pathos
Shades of the Hero
Section
Soter
Pollution of the Body Politic
A Masterpiece of Metonymy
Section
Initiation
Loose Hair and Social Disorder
The Living Word, Part I
The Living Word, Part II
The Last Word: The Hero as Savior
Section
Phobos
Section
Hora
