1. Greek Society and the Origins of the Classics

2. The Golden Age of Greece Athens – 5 th Century B.C.

3. Sophocles

4. Born in Athens in 497 B.C. Most well known ancient Greek playwright A member of the ruling class Was sympathetic to social inequalities in his society Warned other Greeks that their prejudices and social inequality would result in their destruction

5. Greek Belief System Polytheistic – worshipped many gods FATE was a divine force that was stronger than the gods They felt the gods became angry with people who were guilty of pride or any other kind of excess People were supposed to live moderately and correctly

6. Origins of Greek Drama To celebrate their gods, the Greeks held many festivals where Drama played a key role Everyone attended the plays Playwrights competed against each other to see who was the best writer Tragedies were the types of plays performed Plays were choral lyrics, based on myths, with song alternating with dialogue

7. Tragedy Greek Tragedy focuses on the TRAGIC HERO TRAGIC HERO: a great man who has one tragic flaw which brings about his downfall. The hero accepts the consequences of his errors and teaches the audience some truth about life.

8. Greek Theater First Theater: At the Acropolis People sat in open air on benches Theater was like a religious experience, so the performance was dignified and serious People expected to be awakened to the truth People expected a discussion about serious life issues

9. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater Dramatic Irony: Since the audience was familiar with the plots (taken from well-known myths), it always had more information about the action than the characters on the stage

10. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater The plays were acted in the daytime, without lights or curtains, and had few sets. NO TECHNOLOGY!

11. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater ACTORS WERE ALL MALE! They wore masks, wigs, and high boots.

12. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater THE THREE UNITIES: UNITY OF TIME – all the action of the play took place within 24 hours; dialogue provided background info. UNITY OF PLACE – action was limited to one setting; one unchanged set was used. UNITY OF SUBJECT – the focus was on the main character. No sub-plots.

13. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater CHORUS: 15-20 men represent the citizens They were always onstage and they frequently sang and danced They always had a leader who carried on a dialogue with the main characters or with the rest of the chorus.

14. Stage Conventions of Greek Theater Function of the chorus: Set the tone Give background info Recall past events Interpret and summarize events Ask questions Give opinions Give advice, if asked Stay objective Act like a jury

15. Other Literary Terms Hubris – Excessive pride Metaphor – A direct comparison between two things Simile – A comparison between two things using like or as Hyperbole – Extreme exaggeration Juxtaposition – Placing two objects side by side Paradox – A true statement that seems contradictory