Introduction To Greek Theatre and Tragedy

Spring 2010

What is Tragedy Anyway?

You know, we say something is a tragedy pretty casually in daily life. If we drop ice cream cone on our shirt,

we say it's a tragedy. If our team loses an important game,

we say it's a tragedy. If a pelican steals our beach hat, we

say it's time to get a new beach hat.

Genre: Greek Tragedy is a work of art (in this case, dramatic art, because it's

a drama) and its form is that of a tragedy. Though the play can be described as sad or depressing, because it's a great work of art we can also describe it as intellectually enlarging, ennobling, and uplifting.

The word "tragedy" refers primarily to tragic drama: a tragic hero suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero's actions. Tragedy stresses the vulnerability of human beings whose suffering is brought on by a combination of human and divine actions, but is generally undeserved with regard to its harshness.

Theatre of Dionysus

Theatre of Dionysus

Greek MasksFunctions of Greek Masks

Portrayed different emotions

Amplified voices Allowed actors to

portray different characters

Allowed audience in back to see

Attire

The ChitonChotharnus- elevating

shoesChalmys- short cloakHimation- long cloak

Qualities of Greek Drama

o Performed on special occasions or festivals for worshipping Dionysus

o Competitive- prizes awarded (maybe a goat!)

o Choral-singing was very important, Greek Theatre evolved from a chorus singing

The Greek Chorus The Chorus began in numbers as

large as 50, then smaller sizes (approx. 12) as actors become more predominate.

Ideal spectator: reacts as the audience should. Asks questions, takes part in the play

Establishes framework, sets the standard by which action will be judged

Heightens dramatic effect through movement, song and dance. Their dance and chanting provided the visionary experience that separated audience from the actor and the essence of tragedy.

Rhythmical Function-pauses/paces the action so audience can reflect and actors can rest/prepare . They provided time for scene changes, introduced background and summary information.

Structure of Greek DramaHere are a few characteristics of the structure of

Greek Drama: Violence and Death Offstage Frequent use of messengers to relate information Usually a single place (setting) Stories based on myth or history, but varied

interpretations of both

Greek Culture Mythology

Olympians▪ Apollo god of Truth

Oracles▪ Reside in Delphi

Prophets▪ Tiresias

Values Independence Education Hospitality

So what does all this mean? Big Theatre Big Characters Big Emotions Big Consequences- for one person!

Who could that be?!

THE TRAGIC HERO!

Aristotle’s Tragic Hero▪ Tragedy should evoke a sense of pity and fear in

the audience▪ Tragedy can only arouse the sense of pity and fear

if the hero is neither completely good nor completely bad

▪ The tragic hero should be highly renowned and prosperous because the hero must fall from tremendous good fortune in order to feel pity and fear

▪ The hero experiences a downfall because of his “error or frailty”. This means either:▪ a single error of judgment▪ His tragic flaw ( a fundamental character

weakness, such as destructive pride, ruthless ambition or obsessive jealousy.)

Tragic Hero Continued

▪ Regardless of how one interprets the “error or frailty”, the key point is that the hero is on some level responsible for his downfall.

▪ By the end of the play the hero comes to recognize his error and accept the consequences as his own fault

▪ The real tragic hero is humbled and enlightened b/c of the tragedy

▪ The tragic hero evokes our pity because he is not evil and his misfortune is greater than he deserves, and he evokes our fear because we realize we are fallible and could make the same error

Why ? Why? Why? Catharsis – purging of emotion William Butler Yeats described tragedy as a

"terrible beauty." Audience is enlarged and ennobled by the hero’s dignity in the face of severe suffering

Real life is disordered and jumbled. Art doesn't have to be. So, when crafting a tragedy (or any piece of art), the artist can focus on the essentials of the story, consider causes, and reasons, and make the experience of the tragic character our experience.

That’s Greek to me

Tragic hero = tragic protagonistKing = Rex tragic flaw = hamartia

Pride = hubrisMisfortune = catastropheRevelation too late = anagnorisis

PlotReversal of fate = peripeteiaSuffering too great = pathosAudience feels fear and pity = catharsis

Euripides• The father of the modern

psychological tragedy• Focused on strong, complex

female characters and their motives

• Questions authority and reveals a fascination for the oppressed (women, slaves, barbarians)

• Least successful of his contemporaries (won only 4 times)

Sophocles• Emphasis on individual

characters• Reduced role of the Chorus• Complex characters,

psychologically well-motivated

• Characters subjected to crisis which leads to suffering and self-recognition

• Common Theme: The choices people make have consequences