Greek Tragedies and Writers

1. Greek Tragedies and Writers Vincent Bravo 2nd Period

2. General Greek Tragedies • Greek Tragedies usually end in misfortune. • The main character usually dies in the end. • Originally written with the intent to be performed onstage. • “Most Greek tragedies are based on mythology or history and deal with characters’ search for the meaning of life and the nature of the gods.” (Robinson) • Tragedies were usually performed during March and April, in honor of the Greek god Dionysus. • The productions occurred as a sort of contest between the three great Tragic writers. • Each writer presented four works: three tragedies followed by a comic piece, called a satyr play.

3. Writers Greek Tragedies • Aeschylus • One of the three ancient Greek tragic writers; often called the “father of tragedy.” • Only seven of his tragedies remain intact: • The Persians,Seven against Thebes, The Suppliants, Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, and Promotheus Bound. • Estimated to have written between seventy and ninety plays.

4. Writers Greek Tragedies • Sophocles • Estimated to have written around 120 plays, of which only seven completely survived. • Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. • Introduced the third actor of a play. • Credited with introducing scenery painting. • His plays won more competitions than Aeschylus or Euripides.

5. Writers Greek Tragedies • Euripides • The last of the three ancient tragic writers of ancient Greece. • Around eighteen of his works have remained intact. • “Euripides is known primarily for having reshaped the formal structure of Athenian tragedy by portraying strong female characters and intelligent slaves and by satirizing many heroes of Greek mythology.” • Euripides wrote in a more modern style, focusing on the realism of his characters. • “Euripides is particularly known for employing the literary device known as deus ex machina, whereby a god or goddess abruptly appears at drama’s end to provide a contrived solution to an intractable problem.

6. Actors Greek Tragedies • Three actors were required for a tragedy. • Male actors had to play female roles because women were not allowed to take part. • The use of masks allowed actors to play multiple roles. • Actors had to, not only speak their script, but occasionally sing.

7. Festival Greek Tragedies • The Athenian theater was part of their religious festival, and not a business enterprise. • It was funded by the Athenian state. • Three tragic writers were chosen to present four works at the City Dionysia, a festival in honor of the Greek god Dionysus. • The writers were ranked by a panel of judges, pitting them in a competition with one another.

8. Citation Sources • Robinson, Scott R. "Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece." Department of Theatre Arts. Central Washington University, 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2011. <http://www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/resources/Theatre_History/Theahis_2.html>. • AbleOne Education Network. "Introduction to Greek Tragedy." Classics Technology Center. AbleMedia, 2007. Web. 1 Jan. 2011. <http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/tragedy.htm>. • "Tragedy." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 17 Dec. 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy#Performance_of_Greek_tragedies>.

9. Homer Greek Writers • c. 800 BC – c. 750 BC • His works included The Iliad and The Odyssey. • “Both books are considered landmarks in human literature and Homer is therefore often cited as the starting point of Western literary and historical tradition.” • No historical records of Homer have been found, shrouding his life in mystery. • Homer’s epics were originally written to be passed down orally.

10. Aesop Greek Writers • c. 620 BC – c. 560 BC • His stories were passed down through word of mouth, not being written down for 200 years. • Believed to be a slave to a citizen named “Iadmon” at Samos. • “The name "Aesop" is a variant of "Acthiop," which is a reference to Ethiopia in ancient Greek” • Stories usually featured animals with human characteristics. • Believed to have been thrown down from a cliff as a punishment for stealing a gold cup from Delphi temple.

11. Herodotus Greek Writers • c. 484 BC – 425 BC • Referred to as the “Father of History”. • First proper historian. • Born in the Greek colony Halicarnassus. • Wrote Histories, where he tried, to the best of his ability, to present information about the Persian Wars. • Herodotus was friends with Sophocles and Pythagoras. • Herodotus was exiled to the island of Samos for helping in the rebellion against their foreign rulers.

12. Aristotle Greek Writers • 384 BC – 322 BC • Wrote on many subjects, such as philosophy and biology. • Taught by Plato, and later, taught Alexander the Great. • Set up his own school, the Lyceum. • “Aristotle is said to have written 150 philosophical treatises.” • “The 30 that survive touch on an enormous range of philosophical problems, from biology and physics to morals to aesthetics to politics.” • To Aristotle, the universe was eternal; it had no beginning or end. • Change was cyclical; for example, the water cycle.

13. Citation Sources • http://www.answers.com/topic/homer • http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Homer.aspx • http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/aesops_fables.php • http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Aesop.aspx • http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/herodotus/p/Herodotus.htm • http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html