Download - Overview of Greek Theatre
Overview of Greek Theatre
The land
The myths
The stage
The LandGreece has thousands of
inhabited islands and dramatic mountain ranges
Greece has a rich culture and history
Democracy was founded in Greece
Patriarchal (male dominated) society
Philosophy, as a practice, began in Greece (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)
Located in Europe in the Aegean Sea
The Land
Greek TheaterLook at pg. 768Let’s fill out the front page of our packets
The Stage
Basics of Greek DramaThe Theater: Greek drama usually
accompanied religious festivals and was part of the fanfare. The stage was built into a hillside and plays were performed during the day before thousands of onlookers. A large orchestra, located in a pit between the stage and the audience, provided music before, during, and after the performance.
The StageGreek plays were performed during
religious ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry (altars generally on stage)
Banks would shut down for days, people would travel from all around to see the drama competitions—even prisoners were temporarily released to see the plays
Tragedy means “goat song” (relates to Dionysian rituals)
The StageThree Main Portions of Greek Theatre:
Skene – Portion of stage where actors performed (included 1-3 doors in and out)
Orchestra – “Dancing Place” where chorus sang to the audience
Theatron – Seating for audience
The Myths: Why they were written
1. Explained the unexplainable2. Justified religious practices3. Gave credibility to leaders4. Gave hope5. Polytheistic (more than one god)6. Centered around the twelve Olympians
(primary Greek gods)
To justify religious practices
Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and wine.
To give credibility to leaders
The Romans used myths to create family trees for
their leaders, enforcing the
made-up idea that the emperors were related to the gods
and were, then, demigods.
The Olympians: The Main Gods of Greece
ZeusKing of godsHeavenStormsThunderLightning
Poseidon
• Zeus’s brother• King of the sea• Earthquakes• Horses
Hades
• Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
• King of the Underworld
• Husband of Persphone (Demeter’s daughter)
Ares• Zeus’s son• God of war
Hera
• Zeus’s wife• Queen of gods• Women• Marriage• Childbirth
Apollo
• God of the sun• Music• Poetry• Fine arts• Medicine
Hephaestus [hi-fes-tuhs]
• Hera’s son• God of fire• Craftspeople• Metalworkers• Artisans
Dionysus [dahy-uh-nahy-suhs]
• God of Wine• Partying (Revelry)
[dahy-uh-nahy-suh s]
Hermes
Zeus’s sonGod of messagesTradeCommerceTravelersThieves &
scoundrels
Demeter [dih-mee-ter]
• Goddess of Harvest• Agriculture• Fertility• Fruitfulness• Mom to Persephone
Hestia [hes-tee-uh]
• Goddess of Hearth• Home• Community
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom• Practical arts• War
Aphrodite
• Goddess of love and beauty
Artemis
• Virgin goddess of hunting and the moon.
Basics of Greek DramaActors: All roles were played by
men wearing large masks, extravagant robes, and platform shoes. Sophocles, the most popular of Greek dramatists, used three actors who changed costumes between scenes.
Greek Tragedy Structure I. Prologue: Spoken by one or two
characters before the chorus appears. The prologue usually gives the background information needed to understand the events of the play.
II. Parodos: the song sung by the chorus as it makes its entrance
III. Episodes/Scenes: the main action of the play
Greek Tragedy Structure IV. Odes: songs (and often
dances) that reflect on the events of the episodes, and weave the plot into a cohesive wholeA. Choragos: the leader of the chorus
who often interacts with the characters in the scenes.
B. Chorus: the 15 singers/dancers who remark on the action1. strophe: the movement of the chorus
from right to left across the stage2. antistrophe: the reaction to the strophe
- moves across the stage from left to right.
Greek Tragedy Structure V. Paean: a prayer of thanksgiving
to Dionysos in whose honor the Greek plays were performed
VI. Exodos: sung by the chorus as it makes its final exit, which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play
Greek Tragedy Structure Ancient Greek tragedies should be
thought of as closer to opera/operetta than to our spoken, prose dramas.
Though deviations were possible, most tragedies had a typical structure, which derived from the role played by the chorus.
Major Greek DramatistsDramatist Born Wrote
Aeschylus 524 B.C. Seven Against Thebes
Sophocles 496 B.C. AntigoneOedipus
Euripides 480 B.C. Medea
Sophocles:(496-406 B.C.)
won 24 contestsnever lower than 2nd
believed to have introduced the 3rd actor
fixed the chorus at 15 (had been 50)
Characteristics of Sophocles' plays:
emphasis on individual characters
reduced role of chorus complex characters,
psychologically well-motivated characters subjected to crisis
leading to suffering and self-recognition - including a higher law above man
exposition carefully motivated
Characteristics of Sophocles' plays:
scenes suspenseful and climactic
action clear and logical poetry clear and beautiful few elaborate visual effects theme emphasized: the choices of people
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSOedipus was the son of Laius [ley-
uhs] and Jocasta [joh-kas-tuh], king and queen of Thebes. After having been married some time without children, his parents consulted the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi about their childlessness. The Oracle prophesied that if Jocasta should have a son, the son would kill her husband Laius and marry her.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSIn an attempt to prevent this
prophecy's fulfillment, when Jocasta indeed bore a son, Laius had his ankles pinned together so that he could not crawl, and gave the boy to a servant to abandon on the nearby mountain.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSHowever, rather than leave the child
to die of exposure, as Laius intended, the sympathetic servant passed the baby onto a shepherd from Corinth and then to another shepherd.
Oedipus the infant eventually comes to the house of Polybus [pol-uh-buhs], king of Corinth and his queen, Merope [mer-uh-pee] , who adopt him as they are without children of their own.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSMany years later, Oedipus is told by a
drunk that Polybus is not his real father but when he asks his parents, they deny it.
Oedipus seeks counsel from the same Delphic Oracle. The Oracle does not tell him the identity of his true parents but instead tells him that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother.
In his attempt to avoid the fate predicted by the Oracle, he decides to not return home to Corinth. Since it is near to Delphi, Oedipus decides to go to Thebes.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSAs Oedipus travels he comes to the
place where three roads meet, Davlia. Here he encounters a chariot, driven by his (unrecognized) birth-father, King Laius.
They fight over who has the right to go first and Oedipus kills Laius in self defense, unwittingly fulfilling part of the prophecy. The only witness of the King's death was a slave who fled from a caravan of slaves also traveling on the road.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSContinuing his journey to Thebes,
Oedipus encounters a Sphinx which would stop all those who traveled to Thebes and ask them a riddle. If the travelers were unable to answer correctly, they were killed and eaten by the sphinx; if they were successful, they would be able to continue their journey.
Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly. Having heard Oedipus' answer, the Sphinx is astounded and inexplicably kills itself by throwing itself into the sea, freeing Thebes.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSGrateful, the people of Thebes appoint
Oedipus as their king and give him the recently widowed Queen Jocasta's hand in marriage.
The marriage of Oedipus and Jocasta fulfilled the rest of the prophecy. Oedipus and Jocasta have four children: two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSMany years after the marriage of
Oedipus and Jocasta, a plague of infertility strikes the city of Thebes; crops no longer grow to harvest and women do not bear children.
Oedipus, in his hubris, asserts that he will end the pestilence. He sends Creon, Jocasta's brother, to the Oracle at Delphi, seeking guidance.
When Creon returns, Oedipus hears that the murderer of the former King Laius must be found and either be killed or exiled.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSIn a search for the identity of the
killer, Oedipus follows Creon's suggestion and sends for the blind prophet, Tiresias, who warns him not to try to find the killer.
In a heated exchange, Tiresias is provoked into exposing Oedipus himself as the killer, and the fact that Oedipus is living in shame because he does not know who his true parents are.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSOedipus becomes unnerved as he
begins to think that he might have killed Laius and so brought about the plague.
When a messenger arrives from Corinth with the news that King Polybus has died, Oedipus is relieved concerning the prophecy, for it could no longer be fulfilled if Polybus, whom he thinks is his father, is now dead.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSNonetheless, he is wary while his
mother lives and does not wish to go. To ease the stress of the matter, the messenger then reveals that Oedipus was, in fact, adopted. Jocasta finally realizes Oedipus' true identity, and begs him to abandon his search for Laius's murderer.
Oedipus misunderstands the motivation of her pleas, thinking that she was ashamed of him because he might have been the son of a slave. Jocasta then goes into the palace where she hangs herself.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSOedipus seeks verification of the
messenger's story from the very same herdsman who was supposed to have left Oedipus to die as a baby.
From the herdsman, Oedipus learns that the infant raised as the adopted son of Polybus and Merope was the son of Laius and Jocasta.
Thus, Oedipus finally realizes in great agony that so many years ago, at the place where three roads meet, he had killed his own father, King Laius, and as a consequence, married his mother, Jocasta.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSOedipus goes in search of Jocasta
and finds she has killed herself. Using the pin from a brooch he takes off Jocasta's gown, Oedipus gouges his eyes out.
Oedipus asks Creon to look after his daughters, for his sons are old and mature enough to look after themselves, and to be allowed to hold them one last time before he is exiled.
UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUSHis daughter Antigone acts as his
guide as he wanders blindly through the country, ultimately dying at Colonus after being placed under the protection of Athens by King Theseus.
His two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, arrange to share the kingdom, each taking an alternating one-year reign.
However, Eteocles refuses to cede his throne after his year as king.
Polyneices brings in an army to oust Eteocles from his position, and a battle ensues.
OEDIPUSThe Tale in 8 Minutes
ANTIGONE OVERVIEWIn the battle for the throne of
Thebes, Antigone's brother Eteocles has died defending the city, while her brother Polyneices has died attacking it. Creon, the king of Thebes, has sworn that although Eteocles has been given a soldier's funeral, Polyneices' body will remain unburied.
ANTIGONE OVERVIEWAntigone defies the decree and
buries her brother, even though her sister, Ismene, refuses to help her. Creon then condemns both Antigone and Ismene to death. He changes his mind about Ismene, but locks Antigone away in a stone vault.
ANTIGONE OVERVIEWLater, after the blind prophet
Teiresias predicts doom, Creon decides to free Antigone, only to find that she has committed suicide.
Antigone's death leads to the suicide of Creon's son, Haemon, who was betrothed to her, and then to the suicide of Creon's wife, Eurydice.
Issues this play addresses:Families torn apart by
political/moral differencesGender bias
Death penaltySuicide
Divine law
Issues this play addresses:Crime and Punishment
Fate/ProphesyLeadershipVengeance
PrideRespect for the Dead
Literary Terms The Tragic Hero: A tragedy
recounts the downfall of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is:A dignified character, usually
of noble birth. A person who possesses a
tragic flaw, or hamartia (usually pride, or hubris) which leads to a catastrophe.
TRAGIC HERO/ TRAGIC FLAWA tragic hero is someone well-known
& prosperous, usually royalty – who suffers a downfall due to their own flaw(s)
A hero’s flaw or weakness is called a tragic flaw
Modern Examples: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan & much of the NFL
HUBRIS
Tragic Flaw is oftentimes caused by “Hubris”Hubris is…Excessive PrideExamples: politicians, movie stars, athletes
He has a problem with Hubris(ex Seahawk wide receiver Percy Harvin)
Other Terms You Need to Know:
Situational Irony What actually happens is the opposite of what is
expected General Life Examples:
A fire station burns down A police station gets robbed A child runs away from someone throwing a
water balloon but falls into a poolLiterary Examples: In Romeo & Juliet Romeo finds Juliet drugged
and assumes she is dead; when she awakens she sees that Romeo is dead and kills herself
Oedipus killed his father and married his mother unaware of the relationship due to his being left to die by his father because of a prophesy
Speaker says one thing but means another (like sarcasm)
Example: “Woah, nice haircut!” (you mean the opposite)
Verbal Irony
The reader or audience knows something that the character does not know
Example: In a movie where the audience knows the bad guy is around the corner
Dramatic Irony
Character who serves as a contrast to another character
Examples: Pretty sweet Cinderella compared to
her selfish, ugly stepsistersDr. Watson & Sherlock HolmesHuck Finn & Tom SawyerDumbledore and Lord Voldemort (Harry
Potter)
Antigone and her sister Ismene
Foil
Antigone THEMES
Is life determined by destiny (already written in the stars) or do people have free choice?
FATE vs. FREE CHOICE
What is more important to obey?Divine laws (based on Religion)?or Human laws (based on Government)?
For Example: What if your religion demands you shave your head but local government (like your school) forbids it?
Divine vs. Human Law
What is more important – to follow your own conscience (sense of right vs wrong) or to obey authority?
For example: During WWII, it was against the law to help Jews escape…what would you do?Obey your conscience & risk being arrested (or worse!) to assist the Jews or play it safe and obey the law?
Personal Conscience vs Authority
Oedipus’ two sons Polyneices and Etiocles were supposed to take turns being the King of Thebes. Etiocles takes his turn first, but won’t give up the throne at the end of his term.
Polyneices goes to Arogs and hires an army to attack Thebes
In the battle, Polyneices and Etiocles kill one another
Creon (Jocasta’s brother/Oedipus’ brother-in-law uncle) becomes king and rules that Polyneices is a traitor and won’t be buried
What Happens Before the Play Starts
Greek religious beliefs:
The holy laws demand that all people be buried properly, or their souls won’t be able to rest
The conflict in the play revolves around this decision. Creon remains determined that Polyneices remain unburied.
Antigone wants to make sure that her brother is properly buried
Greek Burial