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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.
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Bell Ringer • What is tragedy? • How do we know when something is truly tragic? • What do you think a Tragic Hero might be?
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.
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.
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 (Oedipuswon 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 Parados- Passageways where actors could enter and exit 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.
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 • At the bottom was the rounded orchestra or performance area where the chorus sang and danced
Male actors performed all the roles • Actors switched masks to play a number of roles – both female and male
The Chorus • Chorus – there is always a chorus in Greek tragedy. Chorus fulfills several functions: • Members sang, danced and played instruments • Ideal audience – responding to the action as the poet intended. • Modulated the atmosphere and tone (representative of typical Athenian citizens – conservative but not submissive) • Questions and explains new characters as to origin or purpose • Choral odes showed the passage of time.
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)
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?
Bell RingerBell 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.
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.
