Tragedy

Tragedy

• A play in which the main character suffers a downfall

• Heroes of tragedies are often royalty

• The downfall is usually a result of outside forces and the hero’s own decisions

Tragic Hero

• Evokes both pity and fear in the audience

• Has a tragic flaw

• Always has a chance to save himself

Tragic Hero• Aristotle wrote that the tragic hero should

be neither very good nor very bad. The hero’s fate is brought about by a flaw within his/her own character. In this way, the downfall of the tragic hero would encourage audiences to examine their own lives, to define their beliefs, and to cleanse their emotions of pity and terror through compassion for the character.

Tragic FlawHamartia

• Part of the hero’s character that leads to his/her ruin or death

• The art of creating a tragic character is to create a tragic flaw that does not prevent the audience from admiring the hero

• It is usually a character defect– Pride (hubris)– Ambition– Loyalty

• Always has a chance to save himself

Dramatic Devices

Playwrights cannot comment directly on how a character is thinking or feeling like in stories, so they rely on dramatic devices

MONOLOGUE

A CHARACTER SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO ANOTHER CHARACTER

SOLILOQUY

A CHARACTER SPEAKS HIS/HER INNERMOST THOUGHTS-NO OTHER CHARACTERS ARE

ON STAGE

ASIDE

A CHARACTER SAYS SOMETHING TO THE AUDIENCE THAT THE OTHER CHARACTERS

CANNOT HEAR

CHORUS

SOME PLAYS HAVE THIS – A GROUP OF PERFORMERS THAT COMMENT ON THE ACTION IN THE DRAMA & SERVE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE ACTORS & THE

AUDIENCE

Theatre Beginning

sGreece

Before the 6th Century BC….

• The Greeks began worshiping Dionysus in a song and dance

• Dionysus was the Greek god of fertility and spring.

•The most important theatre festival was the City Dionysia.

•Plays were presented for the next three days.

•Three playwrights were selected.

•Each playwright wrote three tragedies and one satyr play (a satire). Each of the playwrights had their plays performed on a separate day.

• Each play had three actors. These actors played all of the parts. The same actors performed all of one playwright’s plays.

Choregos

• Men called choregos paid for the production of the play. They were the very wealthy men of Athens, and they could not say “no”. The choregos could not choose with which writer he teamed up. Each choregos would hope for a good writer, and each writer would hope for a generous choregos.

• The choregos chose the members of the Chorus, provided a room for them to rehearse, and paid for their costumes and training. He did not choose the three actors, but he did choose and pay for the 'extras,' the men who appeared in the play but did not speak.

• The actors, choregos and playwrights were all matched up by lot.

• When the plays were all over, the ten judges voted for the best playwright (set of tragedies/satyr play). After all the judges had voted in secret, the votes were put into a pot, and five of them were drawn out. Only these five votes were counted, and the pot was destroyed.

The Greek Theatre

Theatre Dionysus

The word 'theatre' comes from the Greek word 'theatron' meaning a place for watching.

SOPHOCLES AND

Antigone

Sophocles is considered to be the greatest of ancient Greek playwrights

WHEN? Born in 496 B.C.; died in 406 B.C. at age 90

WHERE?Born in Colonus,

near Athens

•WHY STUDY Sophocles?

• He made many contributions to drama.

1. He wrote at least 120 plays; only 7 complete plays survive.

2. Added more painted background/scenery

3. Added a third actor to the cast (previously, some plays only had one or two actors) along with the chorus.

4. He increased the size of the chorus

5. His poetic lines added to the emotion of Greek tragedy

Part of the Oedipus trilogy

Three plays:

- Oedipus Rex

- Oedipus at Colonus

- Antigone

Story involves a family curse passed from generation by the Delphic oracle

Oedipus is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes

An oracle prophecies that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother

In fear, parents send the child off to die, but the baby is found by a shepherd

The shepherd gives the baby boy to the King and Queen of Corinth

As a young adult Oedipus hears

the prophecy, leaves

Corinth, and travels to Thebes to avoid fulfilling the prophecy.

He battles a traveler (his father, King Laius) on the road to Thebes and kills him.

He solves the riddle of the

Sphinx, a creature who has been holding the city of Thebes hostage until the riddle is solved.

The reward for solving the riddle and ridding the city of the evil Sphinx is the hand of Queen Jocasta in marriage.

With Jocasta Oedipus has four children:

Polyneices

Eteocles

Antigone

Ismene

When he discovers that he has fulfilled the oracle's prophecy, he puts out his eyes goes into exile.

He asks his brother-

in-law, Creon, to look after the children and act as regent until the sons are old enough to rule.

Oedipus had planned for his sons to alternate/share the throne after he is gone.

Eteocles rules first; then doesn't want to give up the throne, so he banishes his brother Polyneices.

Polyneices goes to Argos; several chieftains offer to help him attack Thebes.

Polyneices and Eteocles kill each other in the battle.

Creon, as King, says that Eteocles died honorably defending the city of Thebes, but Polyneices is a traitor for fighting against his city.

Creon decrees that Polyneices will not be buried; his body

must remain outside the city walls for beasts and birds to feed on.

HEREIN LIES THE CONFLICT• Holiest laws demanded

that certain burial rites be performed or else the soul could not rest.

• Creon has said that he cannot be buried.

• Antigone says he must be buried, no matter what the consequences.