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Greek Tragedy: Oedipus
Theatre Components Actors Chorus
Greek Theatre: Main components
Theatron: literally, the “watching place”
Orchestra: literally, the “dancing place”
Skene (skēnē): “scene,” or backdrop
Theatron Daylight Class issues Women Comfort Sound effects
Orchestra Challenges:
– Size – Distance from
audience – Holding
interest
Skene Where the actors
changed costumes and masks
Behind orchestra Served as backdrop,
house Decorative in later
years Holds mechane
(mēkhanē)
Other Theatre Components
Parados: passageways
Ekkykleme: “the thing that rolls”
Mechane: crane used for special effect
Thespian (Actor) 3 Actors, all men Various roles Wore masks Onkos – headdress worn
by actors to increase their height for visibility
Elaborate gestures, “over-acting”
Chorus 12-15 men Singing & Dancing
•Strophe: the first of two movements made by a chorus during the performance of a choral ode.
•Antistrophe the second of two movements made by a chorus during the performance of a choral ode.
•Parodos: (in ancient Greek drama) an ode sung by the chorus at their entrance, usually beginning the play.
Oedipus in context
Dionysia Sophocles The Triology
How did drama get Started?
They started as a religious Ceremony to honor the God Dionysis.
Why Dionysis? – Because as the god of wine and feast,
the drunken revelries that ensued in his worship allowed people to act as people other than themselves: hence, he became the god of acting as well.
Sophocles 495 B.C.E. :Born in
Colonus, in Attica 441: Writes Antigone 431-404:
Peloponnesian War (Athens v. Sparta)
429: Writes Oedipus Rex
406: Sophocles dies
The Three Plays of the Oedipus Cycle
Oedipus the King Oedipus at Colonus Antigone Antigone is the third play in the trilogy, but
Sophocles wrote it before he wrote the other two plays.
Oedipus Rex Delphic Oracle,
prophecy Corinth Sphinx riddle Self-punishment Children: Eteocles,
Polyneices, Ismene, Antigone
Corinth: Agora
Corinth
Sanctuary to Artemis
Corinth 17th Century
Skeleton from burial ground
Oracle at Delphi Apollo Parnassus Temple Pythia Oracle “trust in
Athens’ wooden walls…”
Delphi: Temple to Apollo
Delphi: View of valley
Image and Textual References
Ancient Greek Theater. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/graphics/theaterdiagram.jpg
Damen, (2006). Classical Drama and Theatre. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www.usu.edu/.../11/vaseactorholdingmask.jpg
Greek Drama. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www.baylor.edu/~John_Thorburn/Attica2.GIF Hellenic World Staff (2007). The Greek Sphinx. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from The Hellenic World Web site:
www.ancientworlds.net/.../08/55/00085574_320.jpg Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site:
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~tcf/pictures/electra.png&imgrefurl=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~tcf/pastevents.html
Startz, A. (2006). Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: http://casweb.ou.edu/home/news/events/images/sophocles.jpg
The Classical Greek Chorus. Retrieved July 20, 2007, Web site: www2.selu.edu/.../classes/engl230/Chorus.jpg