At the very heart of the ancient Greek spirit
lies the sun.
A blazy star of faith in life.
A never green power of inward will for balance
and symmetry.
For Greeks, laughter and tears are not opponents
but brothers in arms, guardians of the human
fight for completion.
To talk about the ancient Greek comedy and
tragedy does not refer to any sort of historical
lecture.
To be able to laugh with Aristophanes ploys.
To find the courage to recognize the existential
battles that are taking place at Aeschylus,
Sophocles and Euripides tragedies does not
amount to any kind of historical nostalgia.
On the contrary, if we do not give the chance
to ourselves to dive into their colourful
and weather beaten ocean, we will definitely
lose a vital part of our own potentiality
for finding meaning in our current lives.
This seminar does not primarily intend to
teach you historical or philological details
regarding their place or referring purely
to a prefixed concept about the ancient Greek
culture.
What we will do instead is a vivid dialogue
with its science of human thought.
In a dialogue however the heart of the matter
is always a common ground which unites all
the participants and which applies to all
the parties that share common interests.
Within these parameters, we will not be passive
learners of the ancient greek comedy and tragedy.
We will be instead equal interlocutors, with
these bright spirits.
The sour political satire of Aristophanes
can help us to realise why and how can we
revitalize our participation in our societies.
Aeschylus can point to us the reasons we need
for having ideals, Sophocles can make us feed
the power of human will and Euripides can
turn our thoughts towards our everyday lives.
Join the journey and feel the joy.
This interactive course revives main practical
and aesthetic values of the ancient Greek
culture.
Participants will have a unique opportunity
to experience philosophy, comedy and drama
of the ancient Greeks in their contemporary
application.
With my colleagues, artists and philosophers,
we created about thirty years ago a study
group of ancient art, established in the University
of Athens and in the famous Dora Stratou Theater
of Greek Dancers.
Our main purpose is to revive in everyday
life the diachronic eternal beauty of ancient
art, to give everybody the chance to share
these values and experiences and provide them
with the practical tool of personal development
combining both knowledge and pleasure as creativity,
art and ancient wisdom teach us.
