McKelvyites Get Classical

We McKelvyites have been quite active this year- from zipping through tree canopies in the Poconos to hosting a lunch with an editor from The American Journal of Philology.  But no year is complete without some Sophoclean drama!  (Admittedly, perhaps not everybody’s idea of a fun time, but I’m biased- you’re talking to a die-hard Classics student here.)

Earlier in the semester, several residents attended a student production of Sophocles’ play Antigone at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University.  This trip was done in collaboration with Dr. Markus Dubischar from Lafayette’s fledgling Classical Civilization Program.  I’ll begrudgingly concede that our archrivals over at Lehigh put on an impressive show.

The players deftly captured the tension that erupts when the misguided laws of mortals clash with the immutable moral laws of the universe.  The character Antigone wants to bury her slain brother, but King Creon has labeled him a traitor and refuses to allow the burial rites to proceed.  What is Antigone, one single woman against the will of the powerful, to do?  The moral impasse is resolved the only way Greek tragedy can be- well, tragically.  Sophocles may have written over two millennia ago, but the passage of time hasn’t blunted the poignancy of his works.

Joining us on the trip were some of our neighbors from Reeder House, and a few Classics enthusiasts.  Tania and I helped organize the event.  Tania is a junior and one-semester resident of the House, and the College’s sole Classics major.  As for me, I’m also a junior and have lived in the House for three semesters now.  Officially, I belong to the International Affairs department, but I like to dabble in other disciplines- hence my affection for the classics which started 7 years ago and is still going strong.  I can assure you all, this won’t be the last classical happening at McKelvy House.

Ave atque vale,

Andreas