1. Greek Culture

2. Ancient Burial Rites  Believed that the psyche, or soul, left the body after death and journeyed to the Underworld (Hades)  Needed certain rites to make it through death journey  Refusal of burial rites was an insult to human dignity and to the gods  Soul would suffer and wander between worlds  Would be denied passage across the River Styx

3.  Rites made up of three parts  Prothesis included laying out, anointing, and dressing the body.  Family mourned and paid respects at this time  Ekphora was the processional of the body to burial site  Bodies were either cremated, buried, or both  Interment of body or cremated remains with a statue or burial mound  had to be completed before sunrise so not to disturb daily city life

4. Greek Underworld  Known as Hades (both god and place)  Divided into three parts  Elysium – those who were virtuous or favored by the gods  Plains of Asphodel – known as twilight world for every day people  Tartarus – those who committed terrible crimes  If a soul was to easily enter into Elysium, they would need to build reputation and honor, kleos, during life.  Those who committed hamarita, an error in judgment, were sent to Tartarus

5. Sophocles  496 B.C. – 406 B.C.  One of three classical Athenian tragedians  Introduced a third actor and scene painting to the stage  characters typically full of determination and desire for power, but have faults that lead to their tragic fate

6. Plays  Seven surviving plays  Oedipus Rex  Electra  Antigone  Ajax  Trachiniae  Philoctetes  Oedipus at Colonus

7. Elements of Tragedy  Aristotle said that a tragedy consists of the downfall of a basically good character through a fatal error which then produces insight and suffering - THE TRAGIC FLAW  Themes of love, loss, pride, abuse of power, and relationship between men and gods  Contains a tragic hero who must be essentially good and who’s demise is of their own doing  Such as hubris, pride against gods  Begins with prologue by chorus  Explains background of story