1. Seating Chart for Period 5

2. Introduction to Greek Tragedy

3. Origins of Greek Drama
Sixth Century B.C.E.– According to legend and recorded by Aristotle, Thespis essentially invented acting by stepping in front of the chorus and performing a solo. The word “thespian” has come to mean “actor.”

4. Origins of Greek Drama
Athens made tremendous advances in philosophy, rhetoric, literature, science, architecture, and the visual arts. Tragedies were performed in an annual competition as a part of the Great Dionysia, one of Athens’ chief religious festivals, in honor of the god Dionysus.

5. The Great Dionysia Festival
Each playwright produced three tragedies and a satyr- play (a kind of farce intended to provide comic relief after the tragedies); all four plays were performed in a single day.
Sophocles, won twenty competitions (Aeschylus thirteen, and Euripides four).

6. Three Great Playwrights
Aeschylus
Added a 2nd actor
Dialogue becomes more important, the chorus less
Plays formed trilogies
Sophocles
Wrote more than 120 plays (only 7 survive)
Introduced a third actor
Fixed the chorus at fifteen men
Used painted scenere
Euripides
Called the “most” tragic
Sought to humanize characters and make conflicts real
Reduced the role of the chorus

7. Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC)
Born in Colonus in 496 BC, where he lived for 90 years when he died in 406 BC
Interested in poetic theory and practice and also held several public offices.
Spent all his life if Athens and refused invitations to other royal courts
Won a prize for tragic drama in 468 (beating Aeschylus)
Said to have won the prize 18 times
Wrote over 100 plays—only 7 are still extant
Introduced third actor (Aeschylus added the second)

8. Sophocles’ Theban Plays
Sophocles’ Theban Plays include:
Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
These plays are often anthologized together but they are not considered a trilogy. Each play should be considered a separate work though the characters appear in the various plays.
In fact, the plays were written in this order (some written as far as 40 years apart)
1. Antigone Oedipus Rex 3. Oedipus at Colonus

9. Antigone Third of the Theban plays but written first Context:
Two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war died fighting each other for the throne.
Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has decided that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices will be in public shame.
The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time.

10. Conventions of the Greek Theater
Use of dramatic irony—Since the audience was already familiar with the plots, taken from well-known myths, they always had more information about the action than the characters on stage did.
The suspense, then, was in how the well-known events would transpire and in the audience’s actually watching the events unfold before their eyes in “real time.”
The plays were acted in the daytime, with minimal sets and props. Actors were all male. They wore masks, wigs, and high-heeled boots, which increased their visibility to the audience and added to the formality of the experience.

11. The Three Unities by Aristotle
To increase dramatic intensity, the plays observed three unities described by Aristotle:
Unity of Time– all the action of the play took place within twenty-four hours, in continuous time; dialogue and the Chorus provided background information
Unity of Place– all of the action was limited to a single setting
Unity of Subject – one single main plot focused on the main character. There were no sub-plots.
Due to the religious intent and dignified style, no violence was shown on stage. The messenger ran on stage and spoke to the audience of any deaths or killings.

12. The Chorus
A chorus was used to present exposition and to provide commentary on the action and characters.
5 to 20 men represented the citizens.
They were always on stage, 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.
The function of the chorus was to:
set the tone
give background information
recall events of the past
interpret and summarize events
ask questions
offer 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 who listened to the evidence in the play and reached a moralistic conclusion at the end.

13. Costumes in the Theatre
Long-flowing robes, colored symbolically with footwear that denoted whether they participated in tragedies or comedies.
Actors in tragedies wore boots called cothurnuses that elevated them above the other actors.
Actors with comedic roles only wore a thin soled shoe called a sock.
Masks were significant element in the worship of Dionysus at Athens made of organic materials
Identified age, gender, emotion
Exaggerated features
Dedicated to the altar of Dionysus after performances.
Also made for members of the chorus, though they all wear the same mask because they are considered to be representing one character.
When playing female roles, the male actors donned a “prosterneda” --a wooden structure in front of the chest used to imitate female breasts

14. Deus Ex Machina Peripeteia Catharsis Hamartia Hubris
Greek Tragedy Terms
Deus Ex Machina
Peripeteia
Catharsis
Hamartia
Hubris

15. Deus Ex Machina (dae-eus ex mach-e-na)
An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.
What are some examples of deus ex machina?

16. Peripeteia (pear-eh-puh-tea-uh)
Greek tragedy focuses on the reversal of fortune (peripeteia) and downfall of the tragic hero and the events leading to that downfall.

17. Catharsis
As the hero accepts the consequences of his errors, he teaches the audience some truth about life. The audience experiences a heightening of emotions, as they watch the hero suffer, and they identify with his problems.
In the end, the audience has a catharsis, feeling purged or drained of its emotions, and better able to understand life.

18. Catharsis Journal
1. When is the last time you felt catharsis? What movie/book/art did you read or watch that made you feel that way?
2. Is the feeling of catharsis good or bad for the audience? Should a writer aim to create catharsis?

19. Hamartia
The tragic condition was often the result of the tragic hero’s hamartia.
Often, the hamartia is defined simply as the tragic flaw, the character trait (like wrath or pride) that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall.
More accurately, however, the hamartia is an error in judgment or perception, the hero’s inability to see his flaw or to accurately foresee the consequences of his decisions or actions. Often, the misperception is the result of a character flaw: the hero is blinded by his anger to who his friends really are; the hero’s pride will not allow him to back down and avoid a fatal fight.

20. Hubris
One common trait associated with hamartia is hubris. Hubris, or hybris, is exaggerated self pride or self- confidence, which often results in fatal retribution.
Hubris against the gods is generally regarded as a character flaw of the heroes in Greek tragedy and the cause of their destruction.

21. Aristotle’s Poetics
In your small groups, you will be reading Aristotle’s Poetics together and answering comprehension questions. You will be asked to critique his definition of tragedy.

22. WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OEDIPUS BEFORE WE START READING.
Oedipus Back Story
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OEDIPUS BEFORE WE START READING.

23. Oedipus’ Backstory
Sophocles’ audience would most likely already have known the events leading to the curse of Laius and his descendants that resulted in Oedipus’ tragic destiny.
Sophocles’ intent was clearly to illustrate the downfall of the great Oedipus and not chronicle the family saga, so he does not share the backstory with us.

24. Oedipus’ Backstory
Laius, Oedipus’ birth father, was the son of Labdacus, the King of Thebes. When Labdacus died, Laius was raised by his mother, who ruled Thebes as his regent. Two cousins (Amphion and Zethus) usurped the throne and plotted to kill young Laius, so he was smuggled out of Thebes and given to Pelops, King of Pisa, to raise.
Laius eventually became the tutor of Pelops’ favorite son, Chrysippus, whom he abducted and took back to Thebes. Amphion and Zethus having died, Laius claimed his throne and kept Chrysippus captive. Pelops raised an army to demand the return of his son, but it was discovered that Chrysippus was already dead.

25. Oedipus’ Backstory
Because of his poor treatment of his host and his host’s son, Laius and his house were cursed. When he married Jocasta, he was warned not to have children by her because his son by Jocasta would one day kill him. One night, while drunk, Laius imprudently disregarded the prophesy—some sources say Jocasta intentionally got Lauis drunk—and Oedipus was conceived. Thus, while Oedipus is, to a large extent, a pawn of Fate, at the root of that ill destiny is an act of Free Will that went against nature and angered the gods.

26. Prologue
The drama begins with the people of Thebes entering, led by a priest. The city is suffering famine and plague and all are desperate to discover its cause. In Greek thought, there was no dividing line between natural and moral law. If the gods were punishing the city, there must be some reason for it; someone was guilty of some offense.
Oedipus enters and asks why they have come to see him. The priest answers, telling of the great travail they have endured. They have come to see Oedipus as the one man most likely to be able to solve the problem. After all, he solved the riddle of the sphinx and freed them from its oppression, for which they made him their king.

27. Prologue and Parados
Oedipus tells them he has anticipated their visit and has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to Delphi to seek the Oracle's advice. Creon returns as they are talking and delivers the Oracle's message. The former king, Laios, was murdered. The plague will not be lifted until that murderer is discovered and punished. Oedipus questions Creon, learning that Laios was killed while on a pilgrimage. One of his servants escaped and said that the king and his attendants were set upon by a band of highwaymen. Oedipus promises to find and punish the guilty party.
PARADOS
After the stage empties, the chorus makes its entrance for the parados, the first of six choral interludes. They describe the city's suffering and implore the gods to send them deliverance.