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Unit: Oedipus the King
SOPHOCLES & THE GREEK THEATRE
DITHYRAMB – ANCIENT GREEK HYMN
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The performers wore costumes, danced, and played
drums, lyres and flutes,
They described the adventures of Dionysus, god of
wine and fertility.
The dithyramb was given a regular form and raised to
the rank of artistic poetry about 600 BC.
It became one of the competitive subjects at the
various Athens festivals.
It attracted the most famous poets of the day.
Chorus, strophe, antistrophe, ode, hippocryte
--
large, open areas
--
took advantage of hillsides
to create stadium style
seating
--
could usually seat
thousands of people
(Dionysia could seat
approx. 17,000)
- performance space was
called the “orchestra”
- this is where the chorus
sang and danced
GREEK THEATRE
SOPHOCLES
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495 BCE – 405 BCE (approx.)
Became a prominent resident of Athens,
Greece
By sixteen, he was already known for his
beauty and grace and was chosen to lead a choir of
boys at a celebration of the victory of Salamis
In 468 BCE, he took first prize at Dionysia, defeating the
reigning champion, Aeschylus
Dionysia was a large religious festival in honor of
Dionysus, the god of agriculture, theatre, wine, &
ecstasy
Wrote over 120 plays, only 7 of which have withstood
the test of time
SOPHOCLES’ CHANGES…
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Introduced a third actor
Gave dialogue a fuller sense
of development
Lessened the role of the
chorus
Developed “skené” where
the background was painted
and arranged in order to
create a spectacular effect
THEATRE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME!
THEATRICAL TERMS…
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Tragedy
 Developed
out of ancient Greece
 A drama or literary work in which the main
character, or protagonist, is brought to ruin or
suffers extreme sadness, especially as a
consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or
inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
 Deals with affairs of the state (wars, government,
etc.)
THEATRICAL TERMS…
 Tragic
Hero
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Some characteristics of a
tragic hero:
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 the
main character
in a tragedy who
makes an error in
their actions that
leads to their own
downfall
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He sees and understands his doom;
his fate was revealed by his own
actions.
His downfall arouses pity and fear.
He is physically or spiritually
wounded by his experiences, often
resulting in his death.
He is often a king or leader, so that
his people experience his fall with
him. This could also include a leader
of a family.
The hero learns something from
his/her mistake.
The hero is faced with a serious
decision.
The suffering of the hero is
meaningful.
THEATRICAL TERMS…
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Chorus
a
group of 12-15 men that provided background
information and commentary to help the audience
understand the performance
 They modeled how the audience “should” react
 They expressed what the main characters (of which
there were only 2 before Sophocles) could not say…
their thoughts, feelings, etc.
 Usually sang, but would also speak in unison (very
overdramatically to enhance volume)
THEATRICAL TERMS…
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Deus ex machina
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Literal translation: “god
from the machine”
A plot device in which an
unexpected event occurs in
a story's plot, very suddenly
and completely resolving an
otherwise unsolvable
conflict
Also… a crane used to
suggest flying through the
air.
THEATRICAL TERMS…
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Four Types of Irony
 Dramatic-
audience knows something the
characters don’t
 Situational-
when the last thing you expect to
happen, happens
 Verbal-
what is said vs. what is meant (sarcasm)
 Cosmic-
what the characters aspire to vs. what the
cosmic forces allow