The main crux of the seminar will explore the plays of the Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) and the Swedish August Strindberg (1849-1912) as manifestations of conflicting processes in the soul of modern man, as well as of various psychological approaches to understand these processes. The plays will furthermore be analyzed as prototypes and archetypes of the Western drama in the 20^th century. In Ibsen's entire oeuvre, that oscillates between liberal middle-class conservatism, on the one hand, and aspirations to a boundless self-realization, on the other, and in Strindberg's proto-expressionist drama torn between clinging to the Reality Principle and surrendering to dream and madness – we may detect one of the most conspicuous characteristics of 20^th century dramaturgy: the play as a veiled and codified autobiography of the creator's soul. Starting from the vantage point, while being aware of the interrelations between the artistic work and the scientific, technological, psychological, social and philosophical revolutions, let alone the crisis of Religion in  the period of Ibsen and Strindberg, we shall examine in class and in the oral and written presentations the

representation modes  of the existential plight and inner conflicts of the characters, and the entire world of the play as the space of the communal consciousness as relating to these developments. Based on the theatrical orientation of reading the plays, the students will be instructed to accompany the presentations, if possible, with excerpts of stage, film and TV productions.  We shall furthermore strive to explore a few samples of Ingmar Bergman's work – scripts, play, film and TV – emphasizing the unique influence of Ibsen and Strindberg,