greek tragedy the greek theatre or greek drama is a theatrical tradition that flourished in ancient...
TRANSCRIPT
GREEK TRAGEDY
T
he Greek theatre or Greek drama is a theatrical tradition that
flourished in ancient Greece between c. 550 and c. 220 BC.
A
thens, the political and military power in Greece during this period,
was the center of ancient Greek theatre.
G
reek theater and plays have had a lasting impact on Western drama
and culture.
DEFINITION
A
drama in which a character (usually a good and
noble person of high rank) is brought to a disastrous
end in his or her confrontation with a superior force
(fortune, the gods, social forces, universal values),
but also comes to understand the meaning of his or
her deeds and to accept an appropriate punishment.
SOPHOCLES
SOPHOCLES
(
495 BC - 406 BC) was the second of three great ancient
Greek tragedians. He wrote 123 or more plays during the
course of his life.
O
edipus
A
ntigone
TRAGIC HERO
T
he tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an
ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and
greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater
cause or principle.
“
noble stature/high rank” usually means a king, duke,
prince, company owner, etc.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRAGIC HERO
According to Aristotle:1. Usually of noble birth
2. Hamartia – a.k.a. the tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall.
3. Peripeteia – a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw
4. His actions result in an increase of self- awareness and self-knowledge
5. The audience must feel pity and fear for this character.
THE “TRAGIC FLAW”
T
he “flaw” in the character is a defect which keeps
him/her from being aware of the situation around
him/her. The character does not understand (for much
of the story) his/her part of creating the situation.
T
he tragic flaw leads to the downfall of the tragic hero
THE HERO’S UNDERSTANDING
The tragic hero has a “moment of
enlightenment” near the end of the story.• He/she finally understands what he/she
has done wrong—how he/she contributed to the tragic situation.
• The story often ends with the death of the tragic hero.
TERMS TO KNOW
H
amartia- the hero’s flaw, error, or frailty
H
ubris- a characters exaggerated pride or self-confidence
C
atharsis- the spiritual plunge that is obtained when the
audience feels pity and terror/fear from what they see
happening on stage ( inspires viewer to lead a better life)
VIDEO CLIPS
G
reek Tragedy
T
ragedy