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Greek Tragedy
The LandLocated in Europe in the Aegean
Sea
The Land
•Greece has thousands of
inhabited islands and dramatic mountain
ranges
The Land
The Land
The History
•Democracy was founded in Greece
• It had a patriarchal (male dominated) society
The Philosophy
•Philosophy, the art of thinking, began
in Greece (Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle)
Aristotle (342-322 BC)author of Poetics, which defined
Greek tragedy
Tragedy is a drama that recounts an important and unhappy event in the life of a significant person
A tragic hero must be a person capable of great suffering
Tragedy explores humankind’s questions of the ways of god or fate
Tragedy shows how a person is brought to disaster by a single character flaw
Tragedy arouses the emotions of pity, fear, wonder, awe, and ends with a catharsis of emotions.
Aristotle’s Tragic Hero
Must come from nobilityMust have a tragic flawUndergoes a reversal of fortune(fall from high place)
Finally recognizes his/her mistakes
The Unities
• A. Unity of Time (play is limited to a 24 hour period)
• B. Unity of Place (scenes/locations did not change)
• C. Unity of Action (one storyline without subplots or diversions
Purpose of the Plays
• Everyone was expected to attend based on civic duty
• Plays were a form of religious worship• They taught moral lessons such as
moderation, duty, etc.• Violent acts were not permitted on stage
but were simply reported to the audience by a character
Dramatic Structure
Terms to Know
• Catharsis- the release of pent up emotions or tension, sometimes through art or music and sometimes through behavior
• Hubris- having excessive pride or arrogance
The Myths– a key factor in Greek Tragedy
The Myths – Why they were written
1. Explained the unexplainable
2. Justified religious practices
3. Gave credibility to leaders
4. Gave hope
5. Polytheistic (more than one god)
6. Centered around the twelve Olympians (primary Greek gods)
To give credibility to leaders
The Greeks used myths to create family trees
for their leaders, enforcing the made-
up idea that the emperors were
related to the gods and were, then,
demigods.
Mount Olympus
…Where the
Olympians lived.
Who are the Olympians?
The Olympians Are the 12 Main Gods
Tem
pera
men
ts o
f th
e O
lym
pia
ns
Zeus
• King of gods• Heaven• Storms• Thunder• Lightning
Poseidon
• Zeus’s brother• King of the sea• Earthquakes• Horses
Hades
• Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
• King of the Underworld (Tartarus)
• Husband of Persephone
Ares
• God of war
Hephaestus
• God of fire• Craftspeople• Metalworkers• Artisans
Apollo
• God of the sun• Music• Poetry• Fine arts• Medicine
Hermes
• Messenger to the gods
• Trade• Commerce• Travelers• Thieves & scoundrels
Hera
• Queen of gods• Married to Zeus• Women• Marriage• Childbirth
Demeter
• Goddess of Harvest• Agriculture• Fertility• Fruitfulness• Mom to Persephone
Hestia
• Goddess of Hearth• Home• Community
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom• Practical arts• War
Aphrodite
• Goddess of love and beauty
Artemis
• Goddess of hunting and the moon.
Dionysus- a minor god
•God of Wine and
Partying (Revelry)Dionysus
Dionysian Festival
• Greek plays were performed during religious ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus and sacrifices were made
(generally on stage )
The Theater
• Business would shut down for days, people would
travel from all around to see the drama competitions—
even prisoners were temporarily released to see
the plays
The Theater
•Tragedy means “goat song” (related to
Dionysian rituals)
The Theater
The TheaterSix Main Portions of
Greek Theater:
Theatron – Seating
for audience
The TheaterSix Main Portions of Greek Theater:
Orchestra – “Dancing
Place” where
chorus sang to the
audience
The TheaterSix Main Portions of Greek Theater:
Thymele – altar to
Dionysus in center of orchestra
where sacrifices were made
The TheaterSix Main Portions of Greek Theater:
Skene – wooden scene
building used as a dressing room.
The TheaterSix Main Portions of Greek Theater:
Parados – entrance
to the theater used by
the Chorus
The Theater
Where and how were the dramas performed?
…In an amphitheatre
Where and how were the dramas performed?
…With a chorus who described most of the action.
Where and how were the dramas performed?
……With masks
The Stage
The Playwrights• Thespis was the
first playwright to tell a story. He had one chorus member step away from the others to play the part of a hero or god.
How were the dramas developed?
Aeschylus added a second individual
actor to the performance, thus
creating the possibility of
conflict.
How were the dramas developed?
•Sophocles adds a third actor; now
we have full-blown drama.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Set in Thebes (a city in ancient
Greece)
Is based on the myth of Oedipus, which all Greek audiences would
have known well
This allowed the audience to focus on the message being
delivered rather than the events
The Story of Oedipus
• Oedipus is given away by his parents, Laios and Jocasta
when they learn from an oracle that their son would kill his father and marry his
mother.
• The ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice and
pray to an ORACLE.
• An oracle was a priest or priestess who would send a message from the gods
to mortals who brought their requests.
The Oracle at Delphi
Most famous oracle in Greek mythology.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Oedipus learns of the oracle and believing the king and queen of Corinth are his
parents, he leaves to avoid the oracle.
Sophocles’ Antigone•Oedipus travels to Thebes, killing Laios on the way. He saves the city
from a terrible monster, the
Sphinx.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Thebes rewards him by making him king and giving him the
queen to marry.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•A plague hits the city and the oracle warns that it won’t go away until the killer of King Laios is
punished.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Oedipus investigates and finds out he killed
his father and married his mother.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Oedipus blinds
himself and Jocasta kills
herself.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone is the daughter of
Oedipus and Jocasta.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone’s brothers, Eteokles and
Polyneces, were to rule in alternate years.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Eteokles refused to give up the throne for Polyneces at the
end of his year.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Polyneces went to Argos and raised an army to gain
the throne.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Eteokles and Polyneces killed
each other in battle.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone’s uncle, Creon, became king of Thebes.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Creon, gives Eteokles, his ally, a hero’s burial and issues a decree
against burying Polyneces.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone believes that he is wrong and that both of her brothers
should be buried with honor.
Ancient Greek Burial Traditions• 1. Bury or burn the body to keep the soul from wandering the earth • 2. Dead are washed and dressed in fine clothing.• 3. The mouth and eyes of the dead are shut to prevent the soul
from leaving the body.• 4. Mourners wear black and/or cut their hair.• 5. The body is followed by a procession.• 6. Wine was poured over the gravesite and there was a sacrifice of
food and drink.• 7. Flowers were laid on the gravesite.• 8. A funeral feast was prepared.• 9. Dead were buried in a special place called a necropolis “city of
the dead”.• 10. A coin was placed inside the dead’s mouth to pay the ferryman
for a ride across the River Styx into the underworld.
• http://video.pbs.org/video/1082075672/
Sophocles’ Antigone
The play is based on three major conflicts
• Human law vs. God’s law• Civic Duty vs. Family Duty
• Man’s role vs. Woman’s role