RESISTANT RECEPTIONS: A postcolonial approach to receptions of Greek tragedy

Greek tragedy, as a part of the so-called “western literary canon,” has been a central part in a great deal of colonial educational programs (especially but not exclusively in British colonies). This close association with colonizer nations has also made Greek tragedy a robust tool to resist and critique colonial powers. However, I suggest that important cultural specificity is lost when we consider “the postcolonial” as a broad category. Rather than attempt a consideration of postcolonial reception of tragedy in broad terms, I instead use Black/Africana theory to look at three modern adaptations of ancient Greek tragedies by Black playwrights: Kamau Brathwaite’s Odale’s Choice, Wole Soyinka’s The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite, and Rita Dove’s The Darker Face of the Earth. Through this case study, I demonstrate the richness of a more specific theoretical approach, through the lens of Black Studies, for considering resistant classical receptions and their counterhegemonic potential.