Classical Greek Drama

Classical Greek Drama Focus: Antigone by Sophocles Elements of Drama

Classical Drama • Arose in Athens, Greece, from religious celebrations in honor of Dionysus. • Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility. • The celebrations included songs and chants performed by a chorus. • During the sixth century B.C. drama evolved from the celebration when individual actors began entering dialogue with the chorus to tell a story.

Classical Drama continued… • Plays were performed in the day in an outdoor theater with seats built into a hillside. • Plays were attended by thousands. • Actors, who were all men, wore elegant robes, elevated shoes, and huge masks. • Sophocles used only 3 actors in his play.

Elements of Classical Drama • Tragedy- a drama that recounts the downfall of a dignified, superior character who is involved in historically or socially significant events. • Tragic hero- the protagonist of a work who is in conflict with an opposing character or force. • Tragic flaw- a defect possessed by a tragic hero that brings about or contributes to his or her downfall. • Chorus- a group of 15 who comment on the action of the play.

Elements continued… • Choragus-the leader of the chorus. • Myths- traditional stories, often concerning supernatural beings or events, that were told to explain natural processes or phenomena. • Legends- stories handed down from the past that are often believed to be based on actual historical events. • Metaphor-a comparison between two things that have something in common without using like or as.

Elements continued… • Simile- a stated comparison between two things that are actually unlike, but that have something in common by using like or as. • Dramatic irony-contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows. • Personification- a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to an object, animal, or idea. • Imagery-words and phrases that re-create vivid sensory experiences for the reader. • Foil-a character who provides a striking contrast to another character.

Elements continued… • Protagonist- central character in a story or play. • Antagonist- the character or force against which the main character is pitted.

Plot Structure of Tragedy

Elements of Plot • Exposition- part of a literary work that provides the background information necessary to understand characters and their actions. • Rising Action- the part of the plot in which complications develop and the conflict intensifies, building to the climax. • Climax- the moment when the interest or emotional intensity reach their highest.

Elements of Plot continued… • Falling Action- occurs after the climax and shows the results of the major events and resolves loose ends in the plot. • Resolution- return to stability.

Antigone Background info • Written by Sophocles, who was one of the great dramatists of ancient Greece. • Antigone is a classical Greek tragedy. • Based on the legend of the family of Oedipus.

The Legend of Oedipus • Oedipus was the doomed King of Thebes. • He unknowingly killed his father, the King, and married the Queen, his mother. • When he realized the truth, Oedipus blinded himself and went into exile. • He was cared for by his two daughters, Antigone and Ismene, until his death. • Oedipus had two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices.

After the death of Oedipus • Eteocles and Polyneices agreed to share the kingship of Thebes, ruling in alternate years. • When Eteocles had served his first term as king, he banished Polyneices from Thebes to give him the throne, saying he was unfit to rule. • Polyneices enlisted an army from Argos, which is a powerful enemy of Thebes, to fight his brother.

Continued… • The brothers kill each other in battle. • Creon, their uncle, becomes the new king of Thebes. • Creon is faced with restoring order in Thebes. • As the new king, he plans to honor the corpse of one brother and insult the other.

True or False • Classical Drama arose in Athens, Greece. • True • Antigone was written by Oedipus. • False; Sophocles • The choragus is a group of about 15 who comment on the action of the play. • False; Chorus

True or False continued… • The tragic flaw is a defect, possessed by the tragic hero, that brings about or contributes to his or her downfall. • True • Antigone is a Classical Greek Comedy. • False; Tragedy

Classical Greek Drama