DRAMA

1
DRAMA

• Types of Drama
• Tragedy
• solemn, personal, religious Social Issues
• Tragic Flaw Catharsis

2
Types of Drama

• Tragedy solemn, personal, religious social
  issues often ends in death
• Tragic Flaw our hero often suffers from great
  pride (hubris) and this leads to a grave mistake
  leading to tragedy
• Catharsis Pity Fear The audience pities the
  actors suffering on stage and fears they too
  might make a mistake and suffer a similar fate
• Comedy humorous/solving often ends in a
  marriage
• Farce Physical think three stooges
• Satire Morals/ Manners makes fun of society
  and its ways

3
Analyzing Drama Setting

• Scenery- (location, time period, social class)
• Lighting-(time, season, mood, action, char-acter)
• Costumes- (age,class,profession,ethnicity)
• Props-(have significance)
• In Agamemnon, remember we are in Ancient Greece
  and Ais shown as king and Clytaemnestra is
  queen thus they wear fancy robes and have
  beautiful masks.

4
Dramatic Structure
Climax
Conflict
Expo
Resolution

• Exposition ( who, what, where, when)
• Introduces our main characters, where and when
  they are, and what is happening.
• Conflict (Problem of main character)
• In Agamemnon, Agamemnon returns from Troy but
  both Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus want revenge on
  him.
• Climax (Pivotal point in action)
• In Agamemnon, this is where Cassandra tells of
  Agamemnons death happening off stage.
• Resolution ( How does it all work out?)
• In Agamemnon, at the end, Clytaemnestra and
  Aegisthus succeed but the son of Agamemnon,
  Orestes, vows revenge on them for his fathers
  death. Thus the circle of revenge will continue.

5
Characterization

• Types of Characters
• Protagonist vs. Antagonist
• Confidant (friend or servant)
• Stock characters comic, victim, braggart,
  pretender, fool
• We learn about characters
• Externally through names, appearance, physique,
  speech, accent, dress, status, class, education,
  friends, family, interests.
• Internally through thoughts, feelings, emotions.

6
Dramatic Irony, Theme and Overall Message

• Dramatic Irony Contrast between what the
  characters know and what the audience knows.
• In Agamemnon, the audience and chorus knows
  Clytaemnestra is up to no good, but Agamemnon
  does not.
• Theme(s) Repeated ideas or messages throughout
  the play.
• In Agamemnon, the greatest theme is revenge.
• Overall Message What the playwright wants the
  audience to think about the theme(s).
• In Agamemnon, the playwright wants the audience
  to realize that the cycle of revenge must stop.

7
Greek TheaterShape enhances sound
8
Orchestra

• Literally means dancing space
• Circular and level space made of hard earth,
  later periods paved with marble
• Chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the
  actors who were on the stage near the skene
• In the center there was often a thymele or altar
• The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in
  Athens was about 60 feet in diameter

9
Theatron

• literally means "viewing-place" where spectators
  sat
• usually part of hillside often wrapped around the
  orchestra
• spectators probably sat on cushions or boards
• by the fourth century the theatron of many Greek
  theaters had marble seats
• Far enough away hard to see actors faces thus
  masks and rich costumes
• Actors needed loud voices and move with harmony

10
Skene

• Literally means tent
• Included stage and the building directly behind
  the stage
• Stage of the theater of Dionysus was probably
  raised only two or three steps above the level of
  the orchestra approx. 25 ft wide / 10 ft deep
• The skene was directly in back of the stage -
  usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other
  building, depending on the needs of the play no
  extravagant sets
• Included at least one set of doors, and actors
  could make entrances and exits through them
• Access to the roof of the skene from behind, so
  that actors playing gods and other characters
  (such as the Watchman at the beginning of
  Aeschylus' Agamemnon) could appear on the roof

11
Parados

• The Parodoi means literally passageways
• Paths the chorus and some actors used for
  entrances and exits
• The audience also used them to enter and exit the
  theater