Download Sophocles-Greek Playwright

A Brief Introduction to Ancient Greek Theater
1. Sophocles-Greek Playwright
• Born in 496 BC in Colunus, Greece. Died at age _______
• At age 28, one of his plays won a contest
• Sophocles won most often in Greek playwright contests, over 20 times.
2. Tragedy
• Tragic plays involve the downfall of the _____________ and usually end with his or her
_____________.
• They also involve intense _____________ that leads to an emotional release –
a _____________.
3. According to Aristotle, Tragedies:
• Arouse _____________, _____________, _____________, or awe
• Explore the relationship of _____________and _____________
• Purify the emotions (through the catharsis)
• Show how the hero is brought down by a _____________ _____________
4. Greek Theatre
Plays were performed in _____________that seated 40,000. The stage was at the foot of a
hill.
The _____________ was a large building behind the stage for dressing or backdrop
The _____________was a circular floor between the skene and audience.
5. Costumes and Masks
All actors were _____________. They wore _____________with built-in megaphones
They also wore platform _____________and long _____________.
All aspects of the costumes, masks and movements were exaggerated to be seen from far away.
6. Greek Masks
Masks were made of wool, linen, _____________, plaster or other _____________materials.
7. More Greek Theatre
The _____________was a group of 15 and acted as one _____________, commenting on the
action in the play and reacting as spectators to the play. In Antigone, the chorus represents the
leading citizens of Thebes.
The _____________was the leader of the chorus; he interacted with the characters in the play
Parts of the Play
_____________: beginning of the play, before the action begins
_____________: song that marks the entry of the chorus
_____________: where the majority of the action occurs
_____________: song chanted by the chorus, often a commentary on the action from the scene.
_____________: hymn sung by the chorus, appealing to the gods for assistance.
_____________: last episode in the play. It is followed by a final speech addressed directly to
the audience by the chorus
Independent Work:
To familiarize yourself with the structure of Antigone, open a textbook to page 968. As you leaf through
the pages of the play (968-1006), complete the following chart by filling in either the page number or
the component of the play that is missing. Be specific (for example, Ode 1, Scene 2, etc.)
Component
Page
Cast of Characters
968
Component
988
Prologue
993
Parados
Scene 2
Ode 2
Page
Scene 4
974
997
979
998
Paean
1003