Greek+Drama+Notes

Greek Drama Notes · Dionysius – Greek god of revelry, wine, chaos. Festival tragedies were written in his honor. · Apollo – Greek god of music, math, order, reason, sun. · fate – every person has a destiny that is determined before birth by the Fates, three women who spin the thread of your life, measure it, and cut it. · hubris – excessive pride, implies stepping beyond the role set for the person by the gods. · chorus – a group of 8 to 40 men (originally priests who told the stories of the gods in unison) who comment on the action of the tragedy · skene – building at the back of the stage to hold costumes. Big doors to look like a palace. · orchestra – the “dancing ground” space in front of the stage where the chorus chanted. · dramatic irony – when the audience knows something a character doesn’t know · vicarious – second hand, in the sense of an experience that we see someone else have but don’t have ourselves (book, play, movie). · Thespis – c. 534 BCE. He was the first man to stand apart from the chorus to speak the words of a god. The first actor. · thespian – actor · Aeschylus – Greek playwright who added a second actor. · Sophocles – (495 – 406 BCE) playwright who added a third actor and a little bit of scenery. Wrote the Oedipus trilogy, and Philoctetes.

· 5 Requirements for a Classic Tragedy 1. a serious work about an important person (king, great warrior, etc.) 2. who, as the result of fate or a character flaw (often hubris) 3. experiences a catastrophe, such as losing his entire family or his kingdom. 4. This person then experiences a reversal (a reversal of fortune) when he realizes his mistake or fate. 5. Viewing the play evokes a feeling of pity for the tragic hero and terror at the power of the gods. This is a catharsis, an emotional purge. · ode – a set piece the chorus speaks in unison · episode – (epi = around) the pieces between the odes that are the action of the play. Antigone characters · Antigone – one of Oedipus’ daughters; headstrong, engaged to marry Haemon, her cousin · Ismene – Antigone’s timid sister · Polyneices – Antigone’s brother, who fought **against** Thebes · Eteocles – Antigone’s brother who fought **for** Thebes o P & E killed each other just before the action of the play. · Creon – Antigone’s uncle, current king, father of Haemon · Haemon – Antigone’s cousin, engaged to her. · Teiresias – blind, wise man of Thebes · Eurydice – Creon’s wife