Oedipus, Sophocles, and Greek Theater

2. Greek Drama Based on religious rites of Dionysius--god of wine & procreation Twice annual feasts w/a priest--joined by a chorus of men--reciting Dionysius� �exploits� Feasts ? ritual ? theatre

3. Greek Drama Stories about Dionysius ? stories encompassing all of the gods--especially the gods� dealings with humanity Legends/myths mixing with religious ceremony

4. Greek Drama: Great Dionysia Tragic dramas in 2-week long Athenian spring festival Everyone expected to attend & dramas lasted most of the day (up to 17,000 spectators = HUGE!) Typically 3 tragedies, followed by a bawdy satyr play Comedies in fall about battle of sexes

5. Dramatic Competitions Trilogies sponsored by wealthy citizen Acted at foot of Acropolis (hill in center of Athens) Plot=man in conflict with destiny or fate Music=essential Prize=a goat in earlier times, $$$ from the state by 5th c. BC

6. Greek Drama Tragedies follow traditional notions of conflict Person vs. Person Person vs. Nature Person vs. Society Person vs. Self (2 parts of personality in conflict) One main conflict with possible minor conflicts

7. Greek Drama Tragedies & comedies had a chorus with 3 functions Clued in audience about events on and off stage Told the audience how to feel/react: editorialized Foreshadowed thematic events, explained greater issues to audience Chorus ? ritualized actions Strophe--structural unit of lyric singing and dancing--much like a stanza, chorus danced, sung in unison from stage right to stage left Antistrophe--structurally imitates strophe and allowed chorus to move across stage

8. Production Open-air amphitheatre w/ stage, skene, & seats Stage set in middle of semi-circle of seats Skene--a dressing room of sorts, behind the stage, place for entrances/exits, site of major climatic scenes Orchestra=round dancing floor covered in straw and packed by oxen in front of altar Thespian=from Thespis, poet/actor with first speaking parts

9. Production Costumes--highly stylized Soft, ballet-like shoes Tragedy: long, heavily padded robes of luxury materials, high platforms shoes, and high head-dresses (larger-than-life) Beautiful, elaborate masks w/ built-in megaphones Showed age, sex, emotion, social status of character Important b/c only 2 (& later 3) actors for all major roles Comedy: shorter robes w/ very padded tights & furry breeches w/ tails; intentionally funny masks No facial expressions--had to rely on broad, sweeping gestures (exaggerated!) & range of vocal expression

10. Aristotle�s Poetics Defined (and set the bar for) tragedy and its characters who Must be plausible (though modern audiences would find them implausible) Must be consistent Must evoke emotions of fear and pity must be brought out Falls not because of innate evil but because of the tragic flaw

11. Aristotle�s Poetics Tragic Flaw--a character trait that leads directly to the character�s downfall: a weakness At play�s end, protagonist does gain a deep insight into own nature & destiny

12. Aristotle�s Poetics: Tragic Hero Noble Nature - comes from a lofty position Hamartia � �missing the mark� = what is translated as a �tragic flaw,� though it is any quality that causes the downfall of the hero Free Choice - chooses the path that leads to the downfall

13. Tragic Hero (cont.) Punishment Exceeds the Crime � hero suffers excessively for actions Increased Awareness - recognizes the truth of the situation before death/moral destruction (anagnorisis) Produces Catharsis - elicits a �purging� of emotions/emotional response from the audience

14. Aristotle�s Poetics Tragedy = a way of to tell old truths about life & the gods. �the gods know best� �a human�s imperfect nature, the failure to understand the gods, creates sorrow and destruction� Familiar plots from old stories and legends (recognizable instantly by title) with variations in presentation: What would the moral be? What parts of the old story would be included? What plot twists would be added?

15. Aristotle�s Poetics Each tragedy has A sense of destiny Inevitability about events Quest for justice The drama in 5 parts Exposition (after Prologos) Complication Climax Falling Action Catastrophe producing catharsis

16. Production Actors Never women Prestigious social position Exempt from military duty Paid by gov�t

17. Sophocles Born 496 BCE--lifespan covers the Golden Age of Athens, peak years of intellectual, artistic, & political glory Died 406 BCE--2 years before Athens fell to Sparta (ending the Golden Age) From a wealthy, influential family; handsome & good singer

18. Sophocles Wrote over 120 plays--outdoing his contemporaries (Aeschylus & Euripides) 96 plays--victorious in bi-annual competitions, only 7 remain intact Not lost or destroyed b/c Athenian gov�t �safeguarded the purity of his texts� and they became schoolroom standards Ancient critics felt Sophocles was �the greatest master of tragedy� Oedipus = his best play

19. Sophocles and Drama 3 changes in the presentation of drama: Enlarged the chorus from 12 to 15 (but also reduced its role = characters emphasized) Introduced painted scenery Added a third actor--most important--multiplied opportunities for dramatic intrigue and showed more �modern� concern w/ individual character & maturity Sophoclean hero--usually seems perverse, neurotic, or fanatical; audience senses that hero MUST act as he does

20. Sophocles and the Gods Gods are incredibly powerful, unfailingly fulfill their oracles (Sophocles--very pious man) Gods have awesome power Gods� standards of justice are not humanity�s standards Gods behave as gods, humans behave as humans; the two are NOT the same

21. The Play Itself Look for irony--including one kind we don�t �use� any longer: cosmic irony (involves fate or destiny b/c gods have decided to �take you on,� no logical reason) Keep your �eye out� for foreshadowing Examine how the play hinges upon conflicts--what do these conflicts point to? Study the characters, the structure, & the themes--answer HOW & WHY we feel pity & fear