1. Greek Theatre and the Nature of Tragedy

2. Early History First “tragedies” were myths Danced and Sung by a “chorus” at festivals In honor of Dionysius Chorus were made up of men Later, myths developed a more serious form Tried to illustrate some lesson in life

3. More History 534 B.C. Thespis invented an actor who conversed with the leader of the chorus A second actor was provided by playwright Aeschylus A third actor was provided by Sophocles Now drama could show and develop a human situation in all its aspects

4. Greek Theatre Open-air theatre Use of dramatic irony Plays acted during the daytime—why? All actors were male Wore masks, wigs, high boots Plays written in poetic verse Plays observed the “three unities”

5. Unity of Time All the action of the play took place within 24 hours; dialogue provided background information

6. Unity of Place Action was limited to one setting; one unchanged scene was used.

7. Unity of Subject The focus was on the main character. There were no sub-plots.

8. Messengers Used to tell the audience about what happened offstage Religious intent and dignified style, no violence was shown on stage Messenger ran on stage and spoke to the audience of any death or killings. These messages were sometimes quite graphic.

9. The Chorus Made up of 15-20 men who represented the citizens Always on stage, and frequently sang and danced Always had a leader (called the Choragus) who carried on a dialogue with the main characters or with the rest of the chorus

10. Function of the Chorus Set the tone Give background info Recall events of the past Interpret and summarize events Ask questions At times, give opinions Give advice, if asked Stay objective, in the sense that it did not disagree with the leading character Act like a jury of elders or wise men

11. Requirements of a Tragic Hero Tragic flaw leading to downfall Evokes pity from the audience Someone learns a lesson from the hero’s suffering

12. The Tragic Hero Possesses a tragic flaw (hamartia) that leads to his/her downfall (peripeteia). The tragic flaw is often a character trait that does not seem negative, but is under these particular circumstances. The tragic hero learns a lesson from his/her meaningful suffering, and the tragic hero and the audience feel a sense of release at the end (catharsis).

13. Social and Political Athens—5 th century B.C. 497 B.C.—Sophocles born in Athens Most well-known of ancient Greek dramatists Athens was a time of great achievements in all forms of art People had a strong sense of patriotism

14. Athenian government Government was a democracy run by elected officials in the form of an open assembly Participation in this democracy was limited to only about 10% of the population – Women, slaves, and other “non-citizens” were excluded