1. Background Information
Oedipus the King
Background Information

2. 600 B.C. Greece = city-states
Most prominent = Athens
Athens = where drama first made its imprint on the world

3. Origin of Greek Drama Began = 6th century B.C.
Purpose = worshipping Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine
Plays = either satyr or tragedy
Satyr= a tragicomedy
Tragedies were intended to teach religious and moral lessons.

4. Greek Theater
MASKS were used to portray emotions and different characters played by same actor.
Only MALES acted in and wrote plays.
Theatrons (where the plays were performed) were carved out of stone hillsides.
STRUCTURE of plays:
prologue—opening scene
parados—the first of chorus
songs, choral odes
dialogue—conversation
exodus—concluding scene

5. Chorus an essential part of early Greek plays
made up of many actors who spoke as one
participating “character” who both interacted and engaged in dialogue
often explained situations to audience
represented common man’s point of view
leader of the chorus = choragos

6. Sophocles – the playwright
lived 496 BCE-406 BCE
one of greatest playwrights of all time
won Great Dionysus competition at age 27
only 7/100 plays
survived

7. Sophoclean Themes quest for identity nature of innocence and guilt
nature of moral responsibility
limitations of human will vs. fate
abuse of power

8. Tragedy Terms catharsis catastrophe harmatia tragic flaw hubris
purging of audience’s emotions at conclusion of tragedy
catastrophe
conclusion to a tragedy
harmatia
a character’s fall from a high position
tragic flaw
hero’s trait that ultimately leads to downfall
hubris
pride

9. TRAGEDY role of fate tragic hero with a flaw fall from grace—harmatia
catastrophe (paradox: an apparent contradiction)
relationship between humans and gods

10. … the difference between what someone would reasonably expect to happen and what actually does
IRONY

11. Three Types of IRONY
Dramatic Irony- when the audience knows more information than the characters on stage, allowing the characters to speak and act in ways that are ironic to the audience Verbal Irony- when a speaker says one thing but means another Situational Irony- a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results

12. The Myth of Oedipus Well-known by Greek populace
prophesied to kill his father and marry mother
shepherd supposed to leave him on mountain to die but brings to King and Queen of Corinth instead
does end up killing his real father and marrying real mother when trying to avoid prophesy
Character used in many plays
Homer mentions Oedipus in the Odyssey
Sophocles also wrote Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone (Oedipus’ daughter)
 also mentioned in other famous Greek plays