Drama
Antigone, Sophocles (c.442 BCE)*:
Sophocles’ tragedy pits the head-strong Antigone against the equally head-strong Creon, King of Thebes and her uncle, in the classic conflict between individual duty and the law of the land. (9-12)
The Crucible, Arthur Miller (1953):
Miller’s retelling of the 1692 Salem witch trials captures the horror of this tragic period in American history and raises universal questions about individual freedom of conscience that are still with us. (9-12, 9.0)
Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (1950):
Inherit the Wind is the classic fictionalized account of the infamous Scopes trial, and like its historical inspiration, the play reflects the opposing cultural attitudes of North and South, the clash of science and religion, and the universal struggle between individual conscience and the demands of the state. (7-12)
A Man for All Seasons, Robert Bolt (1960):
Through his story of the dramatic relationship between Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor who refused to compromise his beliefs, and Henry VIII who had his one-time friend executed, Bolt examines personal integrity, freedom of conscience, and the consequences of justice perverted for personal gain. (9-12)
The Oresteia, Aeschylus (ca.458 BCE)*:
This trilogy recounts the bloody curse on the House of Atreus: Agamemnon’s return from the Trojan War and his subsequent assassination by his wife Clytemnestra, Clytemnestra’s death at the hands of her son Orestes, the Furies’ pursuit of Orestes, and Athena’s intervention to end the curse and save Orestes. The Oresteia, certainly at one level, serves as a metaphor for humanity’s concept of justice – from the blood vengeance that led a wife to kill her husband and a son to kill his mother to the redemption and reconciliation that results when Athena intervenes to create trial by jury. (9-12)
A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (1958):
This play follows the Youngers, a working-class African-American family, as they struggle against mid-Twentieth Century racism to achieve their individual and family dreams. (9-12, 6.8)
NOTE: (*) Teachers should use discretion in selecting these works for middle school students because of the complex literary style, advanced reading level, and/or age-appropriateness of the content. Remember, only teach what you have read.
Sophocles’ tragedy pits the head-strong Antigone against the equally head-strong Creon, King of Thebes and her uncle, in the classic conflict between individual duty and the law of the land. (9-12)
The Crucible, Arthur Miller (1953):
Miller’s retelling of the 1692 Salem witch trials captures the horror of this tragic period in American history and raises universal questions about individual freedom of conscience that are still with us. (9-12, 9.0)
Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (1950):
Inherit the Wind is the classic fictionalized account of the infamous Scopes trial, and like its historical inspiration, the play reflects the opposing cultural attitudes of North and South, the clash of science and religion, and the universal struggle between individual conscience and the demands of the state. (7-12)
A Man for All Seasons, Robert Bolt (1960):
Through his story of the dramatic relationship between Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor who refused to compromise his beliefs, and Henry VIII who had his one-time friend executed, Bolt examines personal integrity, freedom of conscience, and the consequences of justice perverted for personal gain. (9-12)
The Oresteia, Aeschylus (ca.458 BCE)*:
This trilogy recounts the bloody curse on the House of Atreus: Agamemnon’s return from the Trojan War and his subsequent assassination by his wife Clytemnestra, Clytemnestra’s death at the hands of her son Orestes, the Furies’ pursuit of Orestes, and Athena’s intervention to end the curse and save Orestes. The Oresteia, certainly at one level, serves as a metaphor for humanity’s concept of justice – from the blood vengeance that led a wife to kill her husband and a son to kill his mother to the redemption and reconciliation that results when Athena intervenes to create trial by jury. (9-12)
A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry (1958):
This play follows the Youngers, a working-class African-American family, as they struggle against mid-Twentieth Century racism to achieve their individual and family dreams. (9-12, 6.8)
NOTE: (*) Teachers should use discretion in selecting these works for middle school students because of the complex literary style, advanced reading level, and/or age-appropriateness of the content. Remember, only teach what you have read.