SOPHOCLES OEDIPUS THE KING (OEDIPUS REX) ANTIGONE AP ENGLISH LITERATURE MS. CURTIS The Greek Tragedy
Dec 17, 2015
SOPHOCLESOEDIPUS THE KING (OEDIPUS REX)
ANTIGONE
AP ENGLISH LITERATUREMS. CURTIS
The Greek Tragedy
AP English Literature
Identify and explain at least THREE qualities of the TRAGIC HERO.
Essential Questions
How does Greek drama compare to our modern theater?
How do the themes in plays from other times and cultures relate to issues of today?
How did the purpose of Greek comedy differ from that of tragedy?
What are some themes that exist in Greek tragedies?
Who are the famous Greek dramatists?
The Greek Theater
The 2nd half of the 5th century was known as the GOLDEN AGE of Greek Drama
The Greek Tragedy grew out of religious ritual drama
The dramatic festivals began in honor of the God Dionysus
The festival was called Dionysia, which was a 4 day festival held during March or April
During performances, actors spoke their lines from behind huge masks
Tragedy
The word TRAGEDY primarily refers to tragic drama.
It is a literary performance in which there is a central character called a tragic hero.
TRAGIC HERO: A character who suffers from a serious misfortune which is connected to the hero’s actions.
The Tragic Hero
According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should be neither good nor bad
The hero’s downfall is brought about by a flaw within his or her own character
The downfall of the hero would encourage the audience to examine their own lives to define their beliefs, and to cleanse their emotions of pity and terror through compassion for the character
Tragic Hero (continued)
Person of high rank who has an exaggerated sense of power and pride (HUBRIS)
The tragic hero violates a human, natural or divine law
By breaking the law the hero poses a threat to society and causes the suffering and death of a family members, friends, and associates
In the last act, the tragic hero is punished or dies and order is restored
Characteristics of a Greek Tragedy
Maintains a tight dramatic frameworkAll the action takes place in one single
locationInvolves small amount of characters
interacting with each otherIncludes a CHOROUS which serves as
nameless onlookers and commentatorsSophocles turns the CHOROUS into an actorConsists entirely of dramatic dialogue
Characteristics of a Greek Tragedy
Practically every line contains a double meaning (verbal irony)
Verbal irony reinforces the dramatic irony
Dramatic Irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something important that a character in a story or drama does not know
Themes in Greek Tragedy
The quest for identityThe nature of innocence and guiltThe nature of moral responsibilityHuman will versus fateThe abuse of power
Greek Dramatists
AeschylusSophoclesEuripidesAristophanes
At least 3 Greek dramatists would compete with each other at the festival of Dionysus.
Sophocles c.496-406b.c
Born to a wealthy family from Colonus, a village near Athens
Sophocles studied tragedy, musical composition, and choreography based on the influence of Aeschylus, the great writer of tragedy
At 28, Sophocles entered a drama competition against Aeschylus and won first prize
During the next 62 years he wrote more than 120 plays, about 24 of which won first prize at the Dionysia
Sophocles (cont)
Sophocles added new possibilities to drama by adding a 3rd actor to the stage
He also invented the deus ex machina in which an actor lowered on a crane as a god from the sky
Structure of Most Greek Tragedies
Formal Arrangement of PartsPrologue: Opening SceneParodos: The first of the Chorus’s lyric songs
or choral odesDialogue: Regular scenes of conversationChoral Odes: A lengthy lyric poem sung by
the chorus with an enthusiastic tone, some of which glorify a public, written in stanzas and includes rhyme
Exodos: Concluding Scene