St Mary's Calne
We had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Rosie Wyles, a former Calne girl, back to speak to us about Greek Tragedy and Athenian Civic Identity and Society. We were also joined by members of the Calne community and some local schools.
Dr Wyles spoke fondly over supper of her memories here at Calne and where her love of Classics came from, particularly having Mrs Elizabeth Rothwell as her tutor, and how this inspired her to take her love of Classics to university and beyond.
Dr Wyles is a specialist in costume in Greek Tragedy and her intriguing lecture about the props and visual sources helped us to understand the context of both Greek tragedy and comedy and the part they played in Athenian Society. She talked about the significance of ancient politics and how the voting system took place through a range of ancient physical sources such as voting jars, swords, sculptures, and remaining texts of the 5th century BC. She also touched on the culture of religion of the ancient Greeks and how much they valued religious festivals such as the Dionysia, and the sources that she showed us were key to our understanding of this lecture.
She spoke enthusiastically on the impact of props on the tragic stage and how playwrights loaded these objects with meaning within their productions to create dramatic effects. Moreover, the symbolism of the objects outside the theatre has potential implications for Athenian civic identity. It was fascinating to hear of the complex use of props within the two genres to bring a simultaneous familiarity to, and distancing from, the Athenian audiences who would have witnessed these performances.
Dr Wyles’ captivating descriptions and analysis even allowed for comparisons to be drawn to modern day drama and political situations!
Elyse, UVI