Trip to Oxford

Commentary from Zahra, Year 12 Classicist 
Last Friday, we had the privilege of visiting Oxford to watch the Playhouse’s rendition of Euripides’ Medea. The classical play tells the tale of a princess from Colchis who abandons her homeland for the Greek hero Jason, only for him to eventually leave her behind. To be able to experience Medea’s grief and heartache through the medium of theatre was an amazing experience to enhance our study of the Invention of the Barbarian at Classics A Level.

Before we watched the play, we had the opportunity to tour the university grounds and see all the buildings that Classics lectures take place at, and get a feel of what the city of Oxford has to offer. We also visited the Ashmolean Museum, where lots of artefacts from classical history are housed that were useful in enhancing our wider knowledge in our subject.

To be able to explore the museum and see first hand the objects and statues that build our understanding of the classical world, allowed us to fully appreciate the subject and understand the time period from which Medea was born, and see social ideas that existed at the time reflected in the artefacts. Overall, the trip was a wonderful experience to fully encapsulate the classical landscape and further our understanding of our subject.