Greek Drama

Greek Drama

Tragedy“Tragedy” refers primarily to tragic drama: a literary composition written to be performed by actors in which a central character called a tragic hero

suffers some serious misfortune, which is not accidental. It is significant

in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero's actions.

History of tragedy Greek drama came from

religious festivals in honor of Dionysus (Bachuss), the god of wine.

Songs in the religious ceremonial were called tragoedia (“goat songs”)

Tragedy- favorite type of Greek drama

o Core of Greek tragedies lies in a character’s hubris (excessive pride likely to involve the wrath of the gods)

TragedyGreek tragedies were

based on widely-known myths or historical events- this would help audience to know the characters and outline of the story they were about to see. This aided in use of

dramatic irony (when the audience knows what the characters don’t)

Importance of Tragedy1. Repository of Greek

culture Incorporated grandeur &

subject matter of Greek epics

Absorbed arts of music & dance & beauties of lyric & choral poetry

Absorbed & reflected many advances in religious & philosophical thought, in rhetoric, & in psychology

2. Reflection of life Viewed life in terms of

crisis & conflict that give it significance

Viewed humanity in terms of its dreads, aspirations, & defeats that challenge men to some investigation of reality

The three poetsAeschylus- “The

Father of Tragedy” (525-456 B.C.)

Sophocles- “The Happy Man of Greece” (495-406 B.C.)

Euripides- (481-406 B.C.)

AeschylusEstablished true dialogue by adding a second

actor, thus reducing the importance of the chorusKnown for his powerful language, high-vaulting

themes, profundity of thought; he is considered the most poetic, religious, and least in character delineation

Created 90 plays (only seven survive): Prometheus; Agamemnon trilogy

SophoclesIntroduced a third actor, further reducing choral and lyrical

passagesAdvanced tragedy farthest as a dramatic form, independent

or primitive ritualAdvanced belief that “human life, even in its utmost

splendor, hangs on the edge of a precipice”Closing lines of Oedipus states his idea: “Count no man

happy until he is dead.”His plays are concerned with the dignity of man in conflict

with his mistakes and defeats. Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone

EuripidesFreed the chorus from the main plot of his plays,

using it as a commentator and as an ornament to the main dialogue

Considered a master at depicting complicated forces working on human personality; he displayed a keen interest in psychological problems, in complexities of character

Served as “social conscience” to Athens, a realist and social critic

Helen; Hecuba; The Trojan Women; Medea: Hippolytus

Qualities of Greek TragedyTrue classical literature:

It is written with great respect for good organization and for the precision and beauty of its language.

It aims at giving religious and moral instruction It emphasizes the rational nature of man; playing down emotional

excess and never surrendering to sentiment No violent action All scenes of horror take place off-stage and reported to the

audience by messengers

Aristotle holds that tragedy is an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of certain magnitude

Aristotle holds that the tragic situation should develop from some flaw in the character of the tragic hero

Characteristics of The Tragic Hero

Usually a king, a leader of men - his fate affects the welfare of a whole nation or number of people

He is doomed from the start, he bears no responsibility for possessing his flaw, but bears responsibility for his actions

Hamartia - a.k.a. the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall

His downfall is usually due to excessive pride (hubris)

More Characteristics of the HeroPeripeteia - a reversal of fortune brought about by

the hero's tragic flawHe has discovered fate by his own actions, and

not by things happening to himThe suffering of the hero must not be senseless: it

must have meaning

Conventions of Greek Tragedy

Aristotle observes that there must be unity of action in a drama

Action is limited to one day’s timeIn addition to this unity of action

and unity of time, scholars have added unity of place.

Greek TheaterTheater is derived from the Greek word

theatron, which contains the stem of the verb theasthai: to view as spectators. AKA “The seeing place”

Amphitheater: open air theater on hillside or a natural half-bowl shape, wooden or stone seats

No scenic background: very stark setting

Actors of Greek Theater

1st recorded actor in ancient Greece- Thespis – Origin of the word “thespian” which means actor

Only male actors In ancient Athens- 3 actors would be responsible for the

speaking parts, while a group of people took the role of the Chorus (essentially, the Chorus narrates by singing to the audience)

Wore larger than life size masks; made of linen, cork or wood

Actors also wore chitons (robes), sometimes full-length, flowing, colored

Sequence in Greek Tragedy

Greeks employed a series of causes which they summarized in 3 words: koros, hubris, and ate

According to the sequence, excessive self-reliance (koros) leads to the madness of transgressing against the gods through some crowning insolence, some excess of pride (hubris), which results in disaster (ate).

In addition to the basic sequence of causes, most Greek tragedies employed some anagnorisis, or sudden recognition; some peripeteia, or reversal of fortune; and the tragedy moved downward toward the nemesis of inevitable punishment; this nemesis brought about the final catastrophe, the ate, which usually involved the destruction of an entire family.

Oedipus RexThere once lived a man called Oedipus

Rex.You must have heard

about his odd complex.

His name appears in Freud's index

Because he loved his mother...

Tom Lehrer

The story of Oedipus

A king of Thebes, the son of Laius and Jocasta, and the

father by Jocasta of Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and

Ismeme: as was prophesied at his birth, he unwittingly

killed his father and married his mother and, in penance,

blinded himself and went into exile.

OEDIPUS REXWritten nearly 2,500 years ago

Considered one of the greatest Greek tragedies ever written

The 3 R’sRevelation- gradual revealing to the characters in

the play, as well as to the audience, of certain facts, certain incidents, of tremendous significance

Recognition- the recognition by the hero of the tragedy that he himself is the cause of the tragedy

Reversal- the reversal of action, this reversal in the fortune of the hero, and usually in the fortune of his entire family, occurs at the same time as the recognition

Layout of the PlayPrologue- beginning/introductionParados- song sung by chorus as it

first enters the theater. Used mainly to present information already known

4 episodes/scenesEach episode is followed by a

stasimon- song sung after the chorus has taken its station in the orchestra

Exodus- final song sung by chorus

Oedipus Complex

Concept developed by Sigmund Freud Theory used to describe a child’s need to “possess” the parent

of the opposite sex while “eliminating” the parents of the same sex. Are humans innately born with a competitive nature?

Freud spoke of the story of Oedipus and said: “His (Oedipus) destiny moves us only because it might have been

ours – because the oracle laid the same curse upon us before our birth as upon him. It is the fate of all of us, perhaps, to direct our first sexual impulse towards our mother and our first hatred and our first murderous wish against our father. Our dreams convince us that this is so.”

The theory is linked to the study of gender roles as well as an individual’s search for their identity

UPLOADSAVE YOUR NOTES TO YOUR COMPUTER.THEN SEND ME YOUR NOTES VIA THE HOMEWORK

WEBSITE FOR CREDIT.TAKE OUT OEDIPUS REX.

The endYour quizzes will be on

this background information and the text of Oedipus Rex all week and next week, so study

and read!!!