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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