Introduction To Greek Tragedy

1. Introduction To Greek Tragedy Sophocles: Oedipus Rex Antigone

2. Tragedy as a Genre • A work performed on stage • Central character suffers a purposeful misfortune (harmartia) connected to his actions • Stresses vulnerability of humans to this hamartia brought on by human and divine means and undeserved due to its harshness

3. Reading Tragedy • Difficulty of language • High style • Highly allusive of classical myths and strange Greek customs • Difficulty of stage conventions • Formal, stylized, not much action • Much talk, not much interaction • Ex.: Oedipus’ opening speech • Messenger’s speech relating all that happened offstage

4. Cont. • Difficulty of performance • Tragedy is a public genre to be read aloud • Past Epics (Homer’s Illiad/Oddessy-sung) • Performed solely on stage until 4th cent. • Aristotle’s, Poetics,-poss. to privately read tragedy and experience effects • Reader must use imagination for stage direction and action • Would be performed during festivals • Playwright would show his work during festival of Dionysis (greek god of wine and theater) • Would choose actors and chorus to train

5. Context: Greek World of Theater • Three major playwrights in “Golden Age of Greece”/”Classical Period” • Aeschylus (525-456 BC) • Sophocles (496-406 BC) • Euripides (486-406 BC )

6. Theater of Epidaurus: best preserved ancient theater

7. Theater of Dionysus (plays first produced here), built into the side of the Athenian Acropolis

8. Parts of the theater • Open air seating, @ 15, 000 spectators • Included: • Orchestra • Parodos (for choral & other "big" entrances: e.g. the entrance of Creon) • Skene (literally, "tent") = stage • Scenery • Props • Ekkyklema: ‘wheeled-out thing’= rolled out of skene to depict past action (i.e. a murder) • Mechane: ‘theatrical machine’ = crane,cable and harness for actors to fly (i.e. gods)

9. The Chorus • Tragedy not pure drama but added interspersed choral singing • Non-prof. and trained by the poet • Usually 12 members (Sophocles changed to 15) • Function: • to sing parados: entrance song • To have dialogue with characters through leader (Coryphaeus) • To sing and dance songs called stasima which comment directly upon what is going on • Allows for scene changes

10. The Chorus: Cont. • Most Important: lyrical poetic function • First stasium= song of gods: emphasizes role of divinity to audience who would expect this • Introduces Apollo-divinity who plays major role: divine insight, brilliance and wisdom

11. Oedipus Rex: Structure • Prologue: opening scene (exposition) • Parados (370-381) • First Episode (dialogue: 381-395) • First Stasium (choral singing:396-397) • Second Episode (397- 416) • Second Stasium (416-418) • Third Episode (418-428) • Third Stasium (429) • Fourth Episode (430-434) • Fourth Stasium (435- 436) • Exodus (general scene of dialogue: 436-451)

12. What is a tragic hero? • Aristotle states: char. that will evoke our pity and terror; mix of good and bad • higher than we are in moral worth • Suffers due to his/her hamartia or tragic flaw: “error in judgment” • Hubris = pride: common to Greek tragedies: blatant self-confidence that causes char. to disregard divine warning or violate an important moral law

13. Prologue + Parados: Irony + Role Of Apollo • Prologue: • The people (priest) ask Oedipus' help to rid plague • Oedipus helps-sends Creon to Delphi to ask Apollo's advice • Creon returns and reports that Apollo has commanded that the Thebans expell a pollution from their land- the murderer of the former King, Laius • Oedipus pledges to find the murderer • Parodos: • chorus calls on Apollo, Athena, and Artemis to help • describes the horrors of the plague

14. First Episode (Irony + Role Of god’s “voice”) • Oedipus proclaims measures to find the murderer, • curses whoever tries to hide him. • chorus advises Oedipus to consult with the seer Tiresias • T. is unwilling to identify the murderer • Oedipus, angered, accuses him of having helped in the murder of Laius • T then accuses Oedipus of being the murderer • Oedipus begins to suspect that Creon is plotting against him • T sets out what will happen to Oedipus, who cannot understand his words • First Stasimon: • chorus dances and sings about the life of the murderer of Laius now that he is a hunted criminal • expresses trust in Oedipus' skill- rescued the city before when he solved the riddle of the Sphinx

15. 2nd Episode: Oedipus’ Realization + Hubris • Creon upset at Oed; senator calms him stating it was simply anger • Creon + Oed. Argue and C. states that in matters he is unsure of he “holds [his] tongue”- shows Oed. quick to anger • Creon argues why he would want to assume the throne/have king’s problems- warns Oed. not to judge on “dubious argument”-shows Oed. Pride • Jocasta relates event of oracle meeting/Oed. Realization + hubris noted- does not listen to C. or Sen. and thought he could avoid gods by fleeing

16. 2nd Stasimon • Chorus sings of dangers of pride, the fate that befell Laius, and entreated the gods that allowed this to occur

17. 3rd Episode: Irony + Oed. “Fortune” • Mess. reveals that Polybus died of naturaL causes • Oed. sends the oracles to “Hades”- O. doubts gods • Mess. relates that Oed. was adopted/found and brought to safety • Jocasta’s realization: she is his wife + mother • Irony—trying to avoid the prophecy caused it to come to pass—Oed is the “child of Fortune” (not positive) • 3rd Stasimon • Chorus sings/laments about unknown birth of Oed.

18. 4th Episode: Oed. Tragedy Revealed • Old man remarks that he saved the baby from Laius due to being afraid of “ evil prophecies”- ignore/avoid voice of gods • Oed. Complete Realization: states “O Light, This be the last time I shall gaze on thee”—foreshadows his fate/tragic circumstance • 4th Stasimon • Chorus laments/asks why someone so great was made to fail • BUT warns: II. 2. –”Time found thee out—Time who sees everything”– FATE! do not ignore the gods

19. 5th Episode: Resolution + Theme • Mess. relates Jocasta’s death and Oed. Consequent blinding by her hair pins • Mess. States Oed. will banish himself • Chorus sings in great lament • Now Oed recognizes: “The Power Unseen”; he states: “Apollo, Apollo fulfills…my measure of ills” • Sen. laments his “hapless fate” • Oed wishes Old Man who saved him should perish—still avoiding gods? • C. enters and Oed. wishes to be cast out of Thebes- C. suggests asking gods—Oed doubts yet again • Oed laments his daughter’s fate- wishes C. to take them

20. Exodus • Chorus asks audience to behold Oed– a prince who “did not with envy see [(did not heed/”see”)]… above him” • Cautions audience to not be too happy, to not take for granted; to not dishonor the gods; to not ignore fate

21. Apollo vs. Oed.: Divine vs. human knowledge/voice • Apollo: • Associated with: • Sun, knowledge, truth • Divine prophecy (but it is actually told by T.- a blind man who can “see” divine) • Apollo = voice of Zeus; T. = voice of Apollo • PARADOX: Oed. prophecy was dark and obscure/ riddling, yet brought to light by clear sighted human wisdom– is this correct?

22. Cont. • Oedipus: • Human and flawed • Cares for his people, but pride reigns • Reveals truth– rids Thebes of Sphinx’s torment • Has too much confidence in human wisdom and not the gods • Insightful: knew to send Creon, knew to send for Tiresius • Hubris: quick to anger, to accuse and to ignore the gods

23. Why Must Oed. Suffer? • Hubris/pride and hamartia/ignoring the god’s voice • Doubts the divine oracle, Apollo, Tiresius, and thus is punished • Higher moral worth than contemporary human (king) and powerful BUT relies too heavily on human intellect– with great power comes great responsibility • Man learns to honor the gods through suffering

24. Divine Wisdom: Paradoxical • Each step to avoid the prophecy= fulfilling it • If Oed did not resist, what would have happened?= oracle/prophecy would not have come true, but it MUST; thus, man must not believe it…so why is it told? • Wisdom in this paradoxical world is a riddle; one must disbelieve for the word of the gods to come true, where the blind see and the sighted are blind– divine wisdom is incomprehensible to humans • Sophoclean notion of divine wisdom assumes some essential truths beyond human comprehension