Download Greek Drama

Bell Ringer
What is tragedy?
How do we know when something is truly
tragic?
What do you think a Tragic Hero might be?
Greek
Theater
Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy
Aristotle defines tragedy as “the imitation of an action
which is serious, complete, of a certain magnitude,
couched in poetic language. It should be dramatic, with
incidents arousing pity and fear, which bring about a
purgation of these emotions.”
Pity is aroused in the audience for the
character(s), and we fear the same
misfortune happen to us.
Catharsis is a cleansing; a release of
emotions.
Tragic Hero
Characteristics of a tragic hero:
Undergoes a morally significant struggle that
ends disastrously.
Essentially a superior person who is treated
sympathetically (we like him in spite of what
the hero might do)
His destiny or choice is to go down fighting
rather than submit and thus pluck a moral
victory from a physical defeat.
Not all good or all bad (very human)
Tragic flaw (Hamartia)
Hamartia – some defect in the tragic character
that helps cause his own ruin. For the Greeks
this flaw is hubris (excessive pride).
The flaw may seem to be jealousy, anger,
ambition, etc., but it will always be because the
character thinks himself too superior in some
way. Because of this hubris, whatever happens
to the tragic hero is not all undeserved.
The Modern Tragic Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X
LWPg3SCYH4&feature=related
Bell Ringer
• You can only rescue one of each of the follow. Which do you
save and why?
• A child or an adult
• A stranger or your dog
• Hitler or Lassie
• Your boyfriend/girlfriend or Martin Luther King, Jr.
• A dog or a weasel
• Your entire family or the entire canine species
• A bottle with a cure for cancer or your brother
Write a few sentences on why it is difficult to make moral
choices.
• When you are done, please take out your Poetry Folder,
throw away all research paper documents, and paperclip
your poetry sheets together.
8
The Greek Theater
5th Century B. C.
Golden Age of Greek Drama
Dramatic festivals were popular
People witnessed tragic and comic
plays
4 Characteristics of Greek
Theater
1. Performed for special occasions (festivals).
Athens had four festivals worshipping Dionysus.
2. Competitive--prizes were awarded. Actors and
playwrights competed (Oedipus won 2nd place)
3. Choral – There was singing; the chorus was
made up of men (from 3 to 50). The chorus sang,
moved, and danced. They moved the story along.
4. The stories were based on myth or history
The Greek Theater
2 Main types of drama: tragedy and comedy.
Theatrical events were performed annually at the festival of
Dionysus, which lasted 5 or 6 days: the Dionysis. Going to the
theater was to take part in a religious ritual.
Competition among writers: Each author submitted 4 plays
(tetralogy) to be performed in one day (3 tragedies – trilogy –
and a satyr play.
Plots were religious and drawn from mythology (dealt with the
relationship between humans and the divine). Actors wore
masks, costumes, and raised shoes. Audiences were familiar
with the stories.
Knowing the story allowed for dramatic irony (situations or
speeches that have one meaning to the play’s characters but
another for the audience, who knows more than the character
about a given situation).
The Stage
Three Main Portions
of Greek Theatre:
Skene – Portion of
stage where actors
performed (included
1-3 doors in and out)
Orchestra –
“Dancing Place”
where chorus sang
to the audience
Theatron – Seating
for audience
ParadosPassageways where
actors could enter
and exit the stage
The Stage
The Stage
The Stage
Greek plays were performed during religious
ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the
Greek god of wine and revelry (altars generally
on stage)
Banks 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 Stage

Early Greek theaters were probably little more
than open areas in city centers or next to
hillsides where the audience, standing or sitting,
could watch and listen to the chorus singing
about the exploits of a god or hero.
The Stage
Where and how were the dramas performed?
…In an amphitheatre
…With a chorus who
described most of the
action.
…With masks
…With all the fighting
and movement going on
off stage.
...With all male actors
Theater of Dionysus
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Theater of Dionysus
At the bottom was the
rounded orchestra or
performance area where
the chorus sang and
danced
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Male actors performed all
the roles
Actors switched masks to
play a number of roles – both
female and male
The Chorus
1.
Chorus – there is always a chorus in Greek tragedy. Chorus
fulfills several functions:
1. Members sang, danced and played instruments
2. Ideal audience – responding to the action as the poet
intended.
3. Modulated the atmosphere and tone (representative of
typical Athenian citizens – conservative but not
submissive)
4. Questions and explains new characters as to origin or
purpose
5. Choral odes showed the passage of time.
Masks of Greek Theater
The masks were worn for many
reason including:
1. Visibility
2. Acoustic Assistance
3. Few Actors, Many Roles
4. Characterization
Some general categories of masks
1. OLD MEN
Smooth-Faced, White, Grizzled, Black-Haired, Flaxen and
More Flaxen
2. YOUNG MEN
Common, Curled, More Curled, Graceful, Horrid, Pale and
Less Pale
3. SLAVES
Leathern, Peaked-Beard, Flat Nose
4. WOMEN
Freed Old Woman, Old Domestic, Middle Aged, Leathern,
Pale-Disheveled, Pale Middle Aged, Whorish-Disheveled,
Virgin, Girl
5. SPECIALIST MASKS
Some made for specific characters, others for: Mourning,
Blindness, Deceit, Drunkenness...etc. (The comic masks,
those especially of old comedy, were as like as possible to
true persons they represented, or made to appear more
ridiculous)
Masks of Greek Theater
Masks of
Greek
Theater
Modern-day replicas
Hero-King
Comedy
(Servant
or Herald )
Tragedy
(Weeping Chorus)
In Conclusion....

Athens, whose free-thinking culture had spawned the
birth of theater, would be overrun in 404 BC by the
Spartans, and would later be torn apart by constant
warring with other city states, eventually falling under
the dominion of Alexander the Great and his
Macedonian armies.
 Theater continued, but it would not return to the same
creative heights until Elizabethan England two
millenia later.
Exit Slip
• Go to m.socrative.com
• Type in 13331 for the Room Number
• Type your name and complete the Exit Slip
• When you are done, hand off your phone to
someone who still needs to complete the
task
• Question: Why do you think Antigone felt
so strongly about burying her brother? 34
Bell Ringer:
• You will be allowed to choose your own
groups for the field trip if, and only if, all
students are picked and no one is left out.
• You must have 5 students in your group.
• I will choose groups that are less than 5.
• I need one sheet with your names on it by
the time the bell rings.
35
Homework:
• Find a reliable website about one of the
following topics:
• Burial rites in ancient Greece
• Women’ roles in ancient Greece
• The responsibilities of kings and rulers
• You need to make notes on your reading (10+)
and write a paragraph connecting your topic and
facts with Antigone.
36