Download Greek Drama Background

Greek Theatre
Greek Festivals
 Festivals honored Olympian gods
 Competitions
 Drama: Dionysos
 Tragedy
 Comedy
Theatre Festivals
 There were two festivals during which dramatic
productions were staged.
The Greater Dionysia took place at the end of
March or the beginning of April
Three days were given over to theatrical
competition.
Three playwrights each took part in the
contests:
Tragedies – trilogy format Morning Presentation
Comedy – one comedy in the Afternoon
Theatre at Epidaurus
ACTORS
 No tragedy used more
than 3 actors
 All actors were male
 Costumes included
character masks, and, in
later years, raised boots
 Acting must have more
expressive than realistic
Greek Theatre
Masks
Greek Tragedy
Nearly all surviving tragedies are based on
myth
Character’s struggle against hostile forces
ended in defeat and ultimately in death
Often follow historical events so the
audience KNOWS what will happen
Episodes performed by a few actors never more than 3 on stage
Greek Tragedy
Heroes were mortals,
such as Helen of Troy or Achilles,.
 Murder and incest violate natural law as
well as human law, so these crimes were
seen as offensive to the gods.
Greek Tragedy
When a murder was committed, the
murderer, the place of the crime, and any
place that harbored the killer were
polluted, (AKA gods were upset)
• A proper ritual cleansing (catharsis) was
necessary to restore both person and place
to an acceptable state.
The Tragic Hero
Must be a character of noble stature and
greatness. (Oedipus is King of Thebes)
The character must occupy a "high“ status
position but must ALSO embody nobility
and virtue as part of his/her innate
character. (Cares about the people)
The Tragic Hero
Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently
great, he/she is not perfect. Otherwise, the
rest of us-- mere mortals--would be
unable to identify with the tragic hero.
Can you think of any tragic hero’s in
modern society? (Hint: politicians,
athletes, clergy, etc. Name a few if you
can)
The Tragic Hero
The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially
her/his own fault, the result of free choice,
The tragedy is usually triggered by some
error of judgment or some character flaw
This error of judgment or character flaw is
known as hamartia and is usually
translated as "tragic flaw".
Hamartia involves hubris (which is
arrogant pride or overconfidence).
Tragic Hero’s Ending
The hero's misfortune is not wholly
deserved.
The punishment exceeds the crime.
There is some increase in awareness,
some gain in self knowledge. The tragic
hero has an Ah-Ha Moment
Purge ThySelf
• Aristotle argues that one function of
tragedy is to arouse the "unhealthy“
emotions of pity and fear and through a
catharsis (which comes from watching the
tragic hero's terrible fate) cleanse us of
those emotions.
What does it all Mean?
• Demanding that the world “answer to
me” instead of the other way around leads
to a systematic destruction.
• Living life only on your own terms is
going to come to a self-destructive end.
A Message from Oedipus
“Life is mysterious and cruel. You may think
you can live your life however you want,
but fate is much more powerful, complex,
and hostile. Fate punishes arbitrarily and
mercilessly those who choose to confront
the mystery of it.”
THE CHORUS:
the voice of the citizens
TRAGIC STRUCTURE
PROLOGOS: Introductory scene
PARADOS: Entry of chorus
EPISODEION
STASIMON
4-5 alternating scenes and
choral odes, including the
EXODOS: final scene
EPODE: final ode.
SOPHOCLES
496 - 406
 Wrote over 123 plays,
but only seven survive
 Credited with adding the
third actor
 Known as actor as well as
dramatist
 Most interested in human
dynamics
THEBAN PLAYS:
Oedipus the King
 Oedipus at Colonnus
 Antigone
The
End