Sophocles Born 496 B.C. and died after 413 B.C. Wrote Antigone in 441 B.C. Lived near Athens--priest, state treasurer and committee advisor for the city.

Sophocles

Born 496 B.C. and died after 413 B.C.Wrote Antigone in 441 B.C.Lived near Athens--priest, state treasurer and committee advisor for the cityDefeated Aeschylus(the reigning playwright) in the City Dionysia Dramatic Festival.Wrote over 120 tragedies with only 7 surviving

Plays consisted of moral lessons cautioning against pride and religious indifferenceAdded a third actor to Aeschylus’ original twoIntroduced painted sets and stage sceneryExpanded the size of the chorus from 12 to 15

Sophocles’ Theban Plays3 tragedies about King Oedipus and his family

Wrote these plays over a 40 year span

Antigone —3rd part written 1st and performed in 442 B.C.

Oedipus Rex —1st part of the story written 12 years later

Oedipus at Colonus —2nd part of the story written the last year of his life

Ancient Greek Plays

Founding Greek PlaywrightsFounding Greek Playwrights

Thespis Thespis transformed transformed hymnshymns into songs telling into songs telling the story of a the story of a hero or godhero or god

one person one person would step forward and play would step forward and play the part of the hero or god the part of the hero or god

he is immortalized in our word he is immortalized in our word thespianthespian, , referring in actors and actressesreferring in actors and actresses

Aeschylusplaywright who added a second actor, thus adding the possibility of conflict and creating drama as we know it

Greek drama grew out of Greek drama grew out of ancient ancient religious rituals religious rituals honoring honoring DionysusDionysus—god of —god of wine and fertilitywine and fertility

66thth century B.C. century B.C. —Dionysian —Dionysian celebrations became an celebrations became an annual festival annual festival held in held in AthensAthens

3 playwrights competed for prizes in tragedy and comedy

Plays were presented in 3 days:

Tragedies—heroic characters and unhappy endings, with serious treatments of religious and mythic questions

Satyrs—comic and even lewd treatments of the same themes as tragedies

Comedies—ordinary people with happy endings

3 male actors played all of the characters, and a chorus of 15 men performed the singing and dancing.Actors wore masks hiding the actor’s facial expressions and amplified their voices.Play performances were held in an outdoor amphitheatre where audiences sat on a hillside or on stone benches placed around the stage.

Plays were usually staged during the festival of Dionysus, the god of growth and wine, which took place at planting time in March.Crowds of 15,000 people regularly attended the performances, and even criminals were released from prison in order to see the plays.Attendance at these dramas was perceived to be a civic duty, in part because the plays often addressed important social and political issues.

Audience Seating

Side stage where the chorus danced from left to right

Stage where the actors performed

Stage for the scenery

Theatron The seating for the audience of the Greek theater.

SkeneA long building serving as the dressing room and backdrop for the action.

Orchestra The stage of the Greek theater.

Tragedy

Aristotle, the Greek Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, was the first to philosopher, was the first to define tragedy:define tragedy:

Arouses Arouses pitypity and and fearfear in the in the audience so that they may be audience so that they may be purgedpurged, or , or cleansedcleansed, of these , of these unsettling emotionsunsettling emotions

Catharsis

Emotional purgingEmotional purgingA strangely pleasurable sense of A strangely pleasurable sense of emotional release we experience emotional release we experience after watching a great tragedyafter watching a great tragedyFor some reason, we usually feel For some reason, we usually feel exhilarated, not depressed, after a exhilarated, not depressed, after a tragedytragedy

According to Aristotle, we can According to Aristotle, we can only feel pity and fear after a only feel pity and fear after a tragedy if there is a tragic hero or tragedy if there is a tragic hero or heroine.heroine.

Tragic Hero/HeroineBorn into nobilityHave a potential for greatnessResponsible for their own fateDoomed to make a serious error in judgmentTragic flaw (hamartia) leads to downfallToo much pride (hubris) often leads to downfall

The Hero’s Tragic Flaw

Downfall is caused by tragic flaw — a fundamental character weakness, such as pride, ambition, or jealousy

Hero comes to recognize his or her own error and to accept his or her tragic consequences

The real hero does not curse fate or the gods but is humbled and enlightened by the tragedy

The AudienceFeels the heroFeels the hero’’s punishment s punishment exceedsexceeds the crime, that the hero the crime, that the hero gets gets moremore than he or she deserves than he or she deserves

Feels Feels pity pity because the hero is a because the hero is a suffering human being who is suffering human being who is flawedflawed like themlike them

Feels Feels fearfear because the hero is because the hero is betterbetter than they are, and still he or than they are, and still he or she she failsfails. What hope can there be . What hope can there be for them?for them?

The Greek Afterlife and Burial Rites

Every human being went to an underworld called Hades after deathOne’s reputation followed one there; if one lived less than honorably on Earth, the dead would know of the person’s dishonor for eternity.In Hades, spirits were free to move around and could enjoy the company of other deceased relatives.

The dead were dressed in white and then buried with offerings of food and personal possessions.

If funeral rites were not performed, the spirit of the dead person hovered at the gates of Hades, but was not allowed in.

Terminology

Dramatic Structure - TragedyINCITING INCIDENT—SOMETHING HAPPENS TO BEGIN THE ACTION OF THE PLAY

EXPOSITION—BACKGROUND INFORMATION

RISING ACTION—STORY BUILDS AND GETS MORE EXCITING

COMPLICATION—SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF THE MAIN CONFLICT

CLIMAX—MOMENT OF GREATEST TENSION

REVERSAL—CHANGE OF THE HERO’S STATE OF AFFAIRS

FALLING ACTION—THE FALLOUT RESULTING FROM THE REVERSAL OF FORTUNES

CATASTROPHE—EVENT THAT OCCURS IN WHICH THE PROTAGONIST IS WORSE OFF THAN THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAY

MOMENT OF LAST SUSPENSE—THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE CONFLICT IS IN DOUBT

ChorusA group of twelve to fifteen men who commented on the play’s action and themes. They wore large masks and elegant robes in order to add to the magnificence of the play. Between scenes they sang and danced to the music of the orchestra. Typically, the chorus communicated the values and beliefs central to Athenian society.

ChoragusThe leader of the chorus—often participated in the dialogue of the play.

PrologueAn opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details

Parodos The first entrance of the chorus into the orchestra and the choral ode that they sing and dance as they enter (which is usually the first choral song of the drama). The parodos usually follows the play's prologue.

OdeA song chanted by the chorus

Paean A hymn that is an appeal to the gods for assistance.

Exodos The last episode in the play. It is followed by a final speech made by the choragus and addressed directly to the audience.

The Curse

Oedipus and his family -- cursed by the gods because they try to escape fate

Oedipus’ parents -- attempt to control destiny by getting rid of their son, Oedipus

Oedipus -- tries to control his own destiny by leaving Corinth to escape his fate