Greek Tragedy Background Information The Career of Æschylus The House of Atreus
Jan 05, 2016
Greek Tragedy
Background Information
The Career of Æschylus
The House of Atreus
Development of Greek Tragedy
– Dithyramb and Satyrika• Strophic choral poetry
• Associated c. Dionysiac worship
• Originated in Corinth ca. 600 B.C.
– Thespis• Probably NOT the creator of tragedy
• Perhaps introduced the prologue and speech
– Æschylus: introduced the 2nd actor– Sophocles introduced the 3rd actor
Greek Tragedy in the 5th Century
– Location• Theater of Dionysus in Athens
• Syracuse
– Setting• Festivals in Attica
– City Dionysia
– Rural Dionysia
– Lenæa
• Competition
Athenian Acropolis and Environs
Theater of Dionysus
Theatre at Syracuse
Theatre Plan
• 1. Orchestra• 2. Eisodoi• 3. Skene• 4. Skene building• 5. Cavea
The Tragic Machinery
• Chorus– 12-15 Members
– Masked
– Dancing
– Strophic Songs (c. antistrophes)
– Characters
– Stasimon vs. Parodos
• Actors (also masked)• Skene• Mechane• Ekkyklema
Skene, Mechane, and Ekkyklema
Masks
The Greater Dionysia
– 3 Tragedians– 12 Plays– Satyr Plays– Choregia/Choregos (liturgies)– Comedy– Ritual
Æschylus’ Career
– Ca. 525: Born in Eleusis
– 499: First Tragic Production
– 490: Marathon
– 484: First Victory
– 480: Salamis
– 472: Persians (Pericles is choregos)
– 467: Seven against Thebes
– ???: Suppliants
– 458: Oresteia
– ca. 457: Goes to Sicily
– 456?: Prometheus Bound
– 456/5: Dies
The House of Atreus
• 1st Generation– Names
• Pelops
• Hippodameia
• Oinomaos
• Myrtilos
– Events• The Race
• 2nd Generation– Names
• Atreus
• Aërope
• Thyestes
– Events• The Seduction
• The Ram
• The Feast
The House of Atreus3rd Generation
– Agamemnon
– Menelaos
– Clytemnestra• Orestes
• Electra
• Iphigeneia
– Ægisthos
• Events Important to Agamemnon– The Feast of Thyestes
– The Blood Curse
– The Sacrifice of Iphigeneia at Aulis
– The Trojan War