Download Absence of narrator/mediator - OSH AP English 12 Literature and

Styles, Stages, and More
Greek Structure and Tragedy
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Plot: action of drama—what happens
Character: revealed in time; motivation
Thought
 Theme
 Issues addressed
 Statement on society
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Diction: dialogue & soliloquy
Music: song
Spectacle
 Extravagant
 Grotesque
 Minimalist
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Arena Style theatre in Amphitheatre.
All seats get to view.
Actors wear masks, project, “overact.”
Plays performed in daylight.
Men play all roles.
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Greek drama begins with the Prologue.
The Prologue’s purpose is to give background
information to situate the conflict.
Often, the Chorus – a group of actors who
comment on the action in the play and
provide exposition – give the Prologue.
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Choral song chanted by the Chorus as they
enter the area in front of the stage.
Parados literally means passage.
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Serves to separate one
scene from another
(since there were no
curtains in Greek
theaters).
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Also allowed the
Chorus’s response to
the preceding scene.
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Strophe – part of the
ode that the chorus
chants as it moves
from right to left across
the stage.
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Antistrophe – part of
the ode chanted as the
chorus moves back
across the stage from
left to right.
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Following the Parados, the first scene
presents the conflict of the play.
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A hymn in praise of a god.
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Final scene of the play.
Dramatic Structure
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Compression and Contrast – tightening the
action to get the most bang from the buck.
 Starting close to the action.
 Cutting out scenes that don’t move the story
along.
 Symbols that clue readers/viewers into meaning.
 A foil – a dramatic contrast for the hero.
A General Definition of Tragedy
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Aristotle: tragedy evokes fear and pity in
audience, causing catharsis.
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The Tragic Spirit is…
 More or less pessimistic… suffering is required.
 Essentially humanistic, centered on the interest and
claims of humans, the emotional reaction to the
events not the horror seen on stage.
 not cynical.
 an affirmation of positive values; great tragedies
do not end in sheer terror, horror, or despair even if
they end unhappily.
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Tragedy enriches our experience by:
 Deepening
 Widening,
 Refining our consciousness of the possibilities of life.
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Tragedy examines the problem of human fate:
 Relations to his total environment,
 Position in the universe,
 The ultimate meaning of his life.
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Greek tragedy promoted life by promoting
wisdom.
The old stories were told to be more
philosophical than historical.
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Is not all good or bad
Is of the noble class or
highly renowned and
prosperous
Has a tragic flaw
Recognizes his error
and accepts the
consequences
Arouses the audience’s
pity and fear
Is from a well-known
myth
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Delphic Oracle – The Prophecy and Apollo
Corinth
The Riddle of the Sphinx
Self-punishment
Children:
 Eteocles
 Polyneices
 Ismene
 Antigone