Event

Lecture Series: 
The Penn Public Lectures on Classical Antiquity and the Contemporary World 

Feeling: Literature in Ancient Greece and India

Register Here: Registration link coming soon

Speaker: Phiroze Vasunia, Professor of Greek at University College London

Respondent: TBA

Lecture 3: "Compassion"

Abstract: The thrilling narrative drive of revenge plays a central role in many dramatic traditions, from Aeschylus’ Agamemnon to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. And yet the “deeds of mercy” have an equally central role in serious ancient drama. This talk will show that both ancient Athenian and classical Sanskrit plays have a central interest in how destructive emotions, such as vengeance and jealousy, can be overturned or transformed, and how divine or familial curses can be lifted.  Through an examination of ancient Athenian tragedy and the works of the classical Sanskrit playwright, Kalidasa, the talk will show how compassion can become a transformative power in human life.  

The series is supported by the Arete foundation in honor of Edward E. Cohen.