Classical Drama Origins: Athens, Greece 6 th Century B.C.

Classical Drama

Origins:

Athens, Greece

6th Century B.C.

1. Greek drama grew out of what and honored who?

Greek drama grew out of ancient religious rituals honoring Dionysis, the god of wine and fertility.

2. How did Thespis transform the annual festivals from its original state?

Thespsis transformed the annual festivals by transforming the hymns into songs that honored Dionysis. These songs not only honored Dionysis, but also told the story of a famous hero or another god. He also added the innovation of having a chorus member stepping away from the others to play the part of a hero or god.

3. How did Aeschylus influence modern drama?

Aeschylus influenced modern drama because he introduced a second individual actor to the performance. This instantly created the possibility for conflict.

Before Aeschylus’ addition, only one person stood out on stage and acted out the story.

4. What word derives from the name Thespis and what does it mean?

The word ‘thespian’ which means actor or actress is a derivative of the name Thespis.

5. In ancient Greece, what were tragedies (tragic plays)? How do they differ from modern tragedies?

In ancient Greece, tragedies were serious treatments of religious and mythical questions. Today, tragedies deal with serious events and sad endings, but they are not religious and mythically based.

6. Describe the Theater of Dionysos.

The Theater of Dionysos looked like a semicircular football stadium and had seats carved out of stone on a hillside. At the bottom was a performance area divided into two parts and in the front was a rounded place called an orchestra. Behind the orchestra was a platform where the actors spoke their lines from behind huge masks.

7. Name the three reasons actors wore masks.

There were three main reasons that actors wore masks. The first reason was to amplify the actors’ voices- the exaggerated mouthpieces made this possible. Another reason actors wore masks was to help the audience identify the character. The masks were stylized into familiar character types. The third reason masks were worn was to allow actors to play several roles.

8. According to the definition of a tragedy on page 1006, describe the main character found in a tragedy.

The main character found in a tragedy, also known as the tragic hero, is usually dignified, courageous, and often high ranking. This character’s downfall is often caused by his tragic flaw. The tragic hero usually wins self-knowledge and wisdom, even though he or she suffers defeat, possibly even death.

9. What do King Laios and Queen Jocasta do to their baby and why?

King Laios and Queen Jocasta give their baby to a shepherd with orders to leave the infant to die on a mountainside with his ankles pinned together. They do this because they learn from an oracle (fortune teller) that their newborn son will kill his father and marry his mother.

10. What happens to the baby?

Instead of abandoning the baby, the shepherd takes pity on the baby and gives him to a Corinthian shepherd. The Corinthian shepherd in turn gives the baby to the childless king and queen of Corinth.

11. Why does Oedipus leave Corinth?

Oedipus leaves Corinth because he learns of the oracle’s prophesy. He believes that the king and queen of Corinth are his real parents and he runs away because he does not want to fulfill the prophesy.

12. What happens on the road after Oedipus leaves Corinth?

As Oedipus is on the road after leaving Corinth, he encounters an arrogant old man who tries to run him off the road with his chariot. Because honor was at stake, the two men fight and Oedipus kills the stranger.

13. How does Oedipus defeat the Sphinx, a monster that had been terrorizing Thebes?

Oedipus defeats the Sphinx and saves the city of Thebes from destruction by answering the Sphinx’s riddle. The riddle is “What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening.”Oedipus correctly answers with “man,” who crawls on all fours as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and leans on a cane in old age.Upon hearing Oedipus’ answer, the Sphinx leaps into the sea and Thebes is saved.

14. How do the people of Thebes repay Oedipus for saving them?

As payment for saving them from the horrible Sphinx that had been terrorizing Thebes, the people of the city appoint Oedipus king of the city and give him their queen for a wife. Their king had recently been murdered on a road outside of the city.

15. Name Oedipus and Jocasta’s children.

Oedipus and Jocasta had four children, two boys and two girls: Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Ismene.

16. When Oedipus investigates the murder of King Laios in an attempt to save Thebes from a plague, what does he discover?

In an attempt to save Thebes from a plague, just as he had done years before, Oedipus consults the prophet Teiresias. From Teiresias, he learns that he is the cause of the plague because he killed his father and married his mother; therefore fulfilling the prophesy. Although he tried to outsmart the gods and prevent the curse from occurring, he helped set the events in motion.

17. What do Oedipus and Jocasta do after they learn the truth?

Once learning the truth, Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus gouges out his eyes because he had been blind to the truth. After gouging out his eyes, Oedipus is exiled to the countryside as a beggar and lives ostracized until his death.

18. What was the conflict between Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices?

The conflict between Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, stemmed from their agreement to share the crown. At the end of Eteocles’ reign, he refused to give up his throne to his brother Polynieces. As a result, Polyneices formed a separate army to fight his brother, but both brothers kill each other in battle.

19. Why did Creon bury Eteocles and not Polyneices?

Creon give Eteocles a hero’s burial because they were allies and Eteocles was the king at the time of his murder. He refused to bury Polyneices because he viewed him as a traitor when he betrayed his brother and his city, formed a separate army, and ignited a civil war.

20. What is the central conflict between Creon and Antigone?

The central conflict between Creon and Antigone is man’s law versus god’s law. Antigone believes that the laws of the gods supersede all other laws and should be followed at all costs. Creon on the other hand, represents the laws of man and he wants to be obeyed at all costs.

Other things to know about Greek drama:

The play Antigone was written by one of the greatest Greek playwrights, Sophocles.

Characteristics of Classical Drama

The chorus is a group of characters who comment on the action of the play without participating in it.

The leader of the chorus is known as a Choragos.

Characteristics of Classical Drama

The unities: time, place, and action.

The action of the play must happen in a single location, within the time span of one day.

Violence happened offstage, and was related to the audience by the chorus.

All actors wore masks, and all parts were played by men.

TRAGIC HERO

The tragic hero suffers from a tragic flaw, also known as hamartia.Hubris, or excessive pride, is usually the hero’s tragic flaw that leads to their downfall.Catharsis- the purging, or to cleanse or purify,of the feelings of pity and fear that occur in the audience of tragic drama.

TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW:archetype: the original pattern from which copies are made; template or mold

recognition: the point in the play during which the tragic hero experiences a kind of self-understanding; the discovery or recognition that leads to the reversal. In some cases, a character’s recognition could also be the reversal.

reversal: the point at which the action of the plot turns in an unexpected direction for the protagonist. The protagonist learns what they did not expect to learn.

complication: an intensification of the conflict. The complication builds up, accumulates, and develops the primary or central conflict in a work.

foil: a character who contrasts and parallels the main character in a play or story.

aside: words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not heard by other characters on the stage during the play.

denouement: the resolution of the plot in a story or play.