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Greek Theater: Antigone. Greek Theatre: Layout. Theatron : literally, the “watching place” Orchestra : literally, the “dancing place” Paradoi : passageways Skene : “scene,” or backdrop. Theatron. Daylight Class seating Seated 12,000-14,000 Women Comfort. Orchestra. Challenges:
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Greek Theatre: Layout • Theatron: literally, the “watching place” • Orchestra: literally, the “dancing place” • Paradoi: passageways • Skene: “scene,” or backdrop
Theatron • Daylight • Class seating • Seated 12,000-14,000 • Women • Comfort
Orchestra • Challenges: • Size • Distance from audience • Holding interest
Skene • (meaning “tent”) • Behind orchestra • Served as backdrop
Actors • 3 Actors, all men • Various roles • Wore masks • Elaborate gestures, “over-acting”
Chorus • Began as 12; Sophocles changed it to 15 men • Singing • Dancing • Considered the mouthpiece of society and morality • Felt the suffering along with the heroes.
Greek TheaterStructure The basic structure of a Greek tragedy is fairly simple. After a prologue spoken by one or more characters, the chorus enters, singing and dancing. Scenes then alternate between spoken sections (dialogue between characters, and between characters and chorus) and sung sections (during which the chorus danced). Here are the basic parts of a Greek Tragedy: • Prologue: Spoken by one or two characters before the chorus appears. • usually gives the mythological background necessary for understanding the events of the play. • Parodos: This is the song sung by the chorus as it first enters the orchestra and dances. • First Episode: This is the first of many "episodes", when the characters and chorus talk. • First Stasimon: At the end of each episode, the other characters usually leave the stage and the chorus dances and sings a stasimon, or choral ode. • The ode usually reflects on the things said and done in the episodes, and puts it into some kind of larger mythological framework. • For the rest of the play, there is alternation between episodes and stasima, until the final scene, called the... • Exodos: At the end of play, the chorus exits singing a processional song which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play.
Sophocles • 495 B.C.E. :Born in Colonus, in Attica • Greek Playwright • 441: Writes Antigone • 431-404: Peloponnesian War (Athens v. Sparta) • 429: Writes Oedipus Rex • 406: Sophocles dies
Sophocles • First to add a third actor • Wrote over 120 plays, only seven survived. • Oedipus the King is most famous works. • Often called the “perfectly structured play” • Antigone continues the story of Oedipus
Tragedy • Definition: • a serious drama featuring a main character who strives to achieve something and is ultimately defeated • The main character’s downfall is often due to an inborn character flaw or weakness – the tragic flaw.
Tragedy • 600 - 500 BC, Tragedy originated as a new form of Greek Theater • Told a story intended to teach religious lessons. • Showed the right and wrong paths in life. • Viewed as a form of ritual purification • Depicted the life voyages of people who steered themselves or who were steered by fate into conflicts with society, life's rules, or simply fate. • The Tragic Protagonist: • one who refuses out of either weakness or strength to give in to fate • Most often, the protagonist's main fault is hubris, meaning false or overweening arrogance. • It could be the arrogance of not accepting ones destiny, the arrogance of assuming the right to kill, or the arrogance of assuming the right to seek vengeance. • Whatever the root cause, the protagonist's ultimate conflict with fate, reality, or society is inevitable and irreversible.
Image and Textual References • Ancient Greek Theater. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/graphics/theaterdiagram.jpg • Damen, (2006). Classical Drama and Theatre. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www.usu.edu/.../11/vaseactorholdingmask.jpg • Greek Drama. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www.baylor.edu/~John_Thorburn/Attica2.GIF • Hellenic World Staff (2007). The Greek Sphinx. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from The Hellenic World Web site: www.ancientworlds.net/.../08/55/00085574_320.jpg • Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~tcf/pictures/electra.png&imgrefurl=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~tcf/pastevents.html • Startz, A. (2006). Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: http://casweb.ou.edu/home/news/events/images/sophocles.jpg • The Classical Greek Chorus. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www2.selu.edu/.../classes/engl230/Chorus.jpg • http://anarchon.tripod.com/indexGREEKTH.html