Introduction to Greek Tragedy

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Introduction to Greek Tragedy

• Its all Greek to me

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Background of Greek Tragedy

• Origins
• Tragedy is thought to have developed from the
  ancient choral lyric which was sung by a male
  chorus in honor of Dionysus, god of wine, at his
  annual festivals.
• The word tragedy comes from the Greek word
  tragoidia meaning goat song. At these
  festivals the Greeks sacrificed a goat on the
  altar to Dionysus while singing the choral lyrics.

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• The lyric expanded from myths about Dionysus to
  stories from the whole legendary tradition.
• The father of drama was said by the Greeks to
  have been Thespis. In 534 B.C. Thespis put on the
  first tragedy at the Festival of Dionysus in
  Athens.

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• Plot of a Greek Tragedy
• The stories used in tragedy were taken almost
  exclusively from mythology. These ancient myths
  and heroic legends were important to the Greeks,
  for they recorded what was thought to be the
  collective social, political, and religious
  history of the people and included many profound
  tales about the problems of human life and the
  nature of the gods.

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• The custom requiring the use of these
  mythological stories in tragedy satisfied an
  essential requirement of the function of drama,
  for it enabled the poets to deal with subjects of
  great moral dignity and emotional significance.

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• The audience then learned from tragedy what
  personal motives and outside forces drove the
  characters to act as they did. Because poets used
  plots familiar to their audience, they would have
  opportunities to use irony and subtle (or not so
  subtle) allusions.

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Who wrote Oedipus Rex?

• Sophocles (496 B.C. 406 B.C.)
• His life spanned the rise and decline of the
  Athenian Empire, in which he was a playwright,
  government official, and warrior.
• He preferred plays that dealt with the struggle
  of a strong individual against fate, portraying
  people as they should be.
• The most memorable feature of Sophocles drama is
  his cast of vivid, dynamic characters.

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Greek Theatre

• The Theatre
• Performances were held in daylight in enormous,
  open-air arenas. A typical theatre was built on a
  hillside, giving the seating area a natural rise
  so thousands of spectators could clearly view the
  action.
• The Actors
• In the vast outdoor theatre, actors had to make
  themselves appear larger than life.

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• Actors, cont.
• Each actor wore a mask of linen, cork, or wood,
  on which was painted an exaggerated expression.
  For example, a sad face for a troubled kind, or a
  womans face to distinguish that the character
  was a woman since all actors were male.
  Funnel-shaped mouth openings helped actors
  project their voices.
• Costumes were used to identify a specific type of
  character. These came in different colors to
  represent different characters. For example, to
  represent royalty, Greek actors wore tunics with
  sleeves and actors playing gods and goddesses
  usually had an identifying symbol.

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Structure of a Tragedy

• Greek tragedies were performed without
  intermissions or breaks.
• Prologue the opening scene, in which the
  background of the story is established, usually
  by a single actor.
• Parados the entrance of the chorus, usually
  chanting a lyric which bears some relation to the
  main theme of the play.
• Episode the counterpart of the modern act or
  scene, in which the plot is developed through
  action and dialogue between the actors, with the
  chorus sometimes playing a minor role.

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Structure of a Tragedy, Cont.

• Stasimon the choral ode. A stasimon comes at
  the end of each episode so that the tragedy is a
  measured alternation between these two elements.
• Exodus the final action after the last
  stasimon, ended by the ceremonial exit of all the
  players.
• Strophe stanza that chorus sings as they move
  from right to left across the stage.
• Antistrophe countermovement stanza that chorus
  sings as they move from left to right across the
  stage.

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Define Tragedy

• A tragedy is an imitation of an action that is
  serious, has magnitude, and is complete in
  itself. The incidents in the plot arouse pity and
  fear on the part of the audience so the end of
  the tragedy brings about a catharsis, an outlet
  or purging of emotions aroused in the play. The
  audience then leaves the theatre cleansed and
  uplifted.

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Tragic Hero

• Since the aim of a tragedy is to arouse pity and
  fear through an alteration in the status of the
  central character, the tragic hero must be
• A figure with whom the audience can identify so
  his fate can trigger the emotions of pity and
  fear on the part of the audience
• True to life and consistent
• Highly renowned and prosperous, but not
  pre-eminently virtuous and just
• Possesses a flaw in his character that inevitably
  causes his downfall this flaw is not a vice but
  a weakness of character

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Tragic Flaw

• The tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw so he
  will not be a completely admirable man, and thus
  a realistic character.
• The tragic flaw is Hubris which means
  overwhelming pride in oneself.
• Because he is so proud of himself, the tragic
  hero makes a mistake, which is called Ate.
• This mistake leads to his downfall or retribution
  or punishment, Nemesis.

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The Legend and the Play

• As with any Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex (the
  King), is based on a legend. The task of the
  Greek playwright is to give the continuing
  story of the legend.