GREEK LITERATURE & CULTURE
Greek Literature and the Tragic Vision
Ian Johnston explores how Greek ideas of justice, divine power, and human freedom shaped the heroic and tragic vision of ancient Greek literature.
Read resource →Classical Reference Library
Ancient Greece
Explore the history, geography, culture, and political life of the ancient Greek world, from the Bronze Age and the rise of the city-states to Classical Athens, Sparta, and the age of Alexander.
Lectures
Student Guides
STUDENT’S GUIDE · MODERN PHILOSOPHY & GREEK TRAGEDY
A Student’s Guide to Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy
An accessible student introduction to Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, explaining the Apollonian and Dionysian, the role of music and Greek tragedy, and Nietzsche’s criticism of Socrates and Euripides. Includes questions and activities for close reading.
Read resource →ANTIGONE • STUDENT GUIDE
Antigone: A Student Guide
A clear student guide to Sophocles’ Antigone, with essential background, character orientation, a reading roadmap, key conflicts, guidance for understanding the Chorus, questions to carry through the play, and a quick review checklist.
Read resource →Teacher Guides
TEACHER’S GUIDE · MODERN PHILOSOPHY & MORALITY
A Teacher’s Guide to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil
A practical teaching guide to Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, exploring philosophical truth, moral values, the will to power, and the philosopher of the future. Includes close-reading suggestions, discussion questions, and classroom activities.
Read resource →TEACHER’S GUIDE · MODERN PHILOSOPHY & GREEK TRAGEDY
A Teacher’s Guide to Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy
A teaching guide to Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, exploring Apollonian and Dionysian artistic forces, the origins of Greek tragedy, Socrates, Euripides, and the philosophical significance of art. Includes discussion questions, close-reading suggestions, and classroom activities.
Read resource →Worksheets & Activities
THE ODYSSEY • WRITING PROMPTS
The Odyssey — Writing Prompts and Essay Assignments
A flexible set of 24 writing prompts for Homer’s Odyssey, including short responses, analytical paragraphs, full essay assignments, and comparative or creative options. Includes a free printable PDF for classroom use.
Read resource →Quotation Collections
SOPHOCLES—IN HIS OWN WORDS
Quotes from Ajax
Selected passages from Ian Johnston's Ajax Translation
Read resource →SOPHOCLES—IN HIS OWN WORDS
Quotes from Oedipus
Selected passages from Ian Johnston's Oedipus Translation
Read resource →SOPHOCLES—IN HIS OWN WORDS
Quotes from Women of Trachis
Selected passages from Ian Johnston's Women of Trachis, Translation
Read resource →Reference Guide
THE WORLD OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS
Introduction to Ancient Greece
A concise guide to the geography, history, political life, and cultural development of ancient Greece, from the Bronze Age civilizations of Crete and Mycenae through the rise of the city-states, Classical Athens and Sparta, and the age of Alexander the Great.
Read resource →Articles/Essays
THE ODYSSEY
You Speak More Homer Than You Think
You may never have sailed past the Sirens or faced a Cyclops, but you probably speak Homer's language more often than you realize. From odyssey and mentor to siren song, lotus-eater, and between Scylla and Charybdis, discover how a 3,000-year-old poem still lives on in the words and expressions we use today.
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