SOPHOCLESOEDIPUS THE KING (OEDIPUS REX)

ANTIGONE

AP ENGLISH LITERATUREMS. CURTIS

The Greek Tragedy

AP English Literature

Identify and explain at least THREE qualities of the TRAGIC HERO.

Essential Questions

How does Greek drama compare to our modern theater?

How do the themes in plays from other times and cultures relate to issues of today?

How did the purpose of Greek comedy differ from that of tragedy?

What are some themes that exist in Greek tragedies?

Who are the famous Greek dramatists?

The Greek Theater

The 2nd half of the 5th century was known as the GOLDEN AGE of Greek Drama

The Greek Tragedy grew out of religious ritual drama

The dramatic festivals began in honor of the God Dionysus

The festival was called Dionysia, which was a 4 day festival held during March or April

During performances, actors spoke their lines from behind huge masks

Tragedy

The word TRAGEDY primarily refers to tragic drama.

It is a literary performance in which there is a central character called a tragic hero.

TRAGIC HERO: A character who suffers from a serious misfortune which is connected to the hero’s actions.

The Tragic Hero

According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should be neither good nor bad

The hero’s downfall is brought about by a flaw within his or her own character

The downfall of the hero would encourage the audience to examine their own lives to define their beliefs, and to cleanse their emotions of pity and terror through compassion for the character

Tragic Hero (continued)

Person of high rank who has an exaggerated sense of power and pride (HUBRIS)

The tragic hero violates a human, natural or divine law

By breaking the law the hero poses a threat to society and causes the suffering and death of a family members, friends, and associates

In the last act, the tragic hero is punished or dies and order is restored

Characteristics of a Greek Tragedy

Maintains a tight dramatic frameworkAll the action takes place in one single

locationInvolves small amount of characters

interacting with each otherIncludes a CHOROUS which serves as

nameless onlookers and commentatorsSophocles turns the CHOROUS into an actorConsists entirely of dramatic dialogue

Characteristics of a Greek Tragedy

Practically every line contains a double meaning (verbal irony)

Verbal irony reinforces the dramatic irony

Dramatic Irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something important that a character in a story or drama does not know

Themes in Greek Tragedy

The quest for identityThe nature of innocence and guiltThe nature of moral responsibilityHuman will versus fateThe abuse of power

Greek Dramatists

AeschylusSophoclesEuripidesAristophanes

At least 3 Greek dramatists would compete with each other at the festival of Dionysus.

Sophocles c.496-406b.c

Born to a wealthy family from Colonus, a village near Athens

Sophocles studied tragedy, musical composition, and choreography based on the influence of Aeschylus, the great writer of tragedy

At 28, Sophocles entered a drama competition against Aeschylus and won first prize

During the next 62 years he wrote more than 120 plays, about 24 of which won first prize at the Dionysia

Sophocles (cont)

Sophocles added new possibilities to drama by adding a 3rd actor to the stage

He also invented the deus ex machina in which an actor lowered on a crane as a god from the sky

Structure of Most Greek Tragedies

Formal Arrangement of PartsPrologue: Opening SceneParodos: The first of the Chorus’s lyric songs

or choral odesDialogue: Regular scenes of conversationChoral Odes: A lengthy lyric poem sung by

the chorus with an enthusiastic tone, some of which glorify a public, written in stanzas and includes rhyme

Exodos: Concluding Scene