Dionysos Greek god of wine and fertility Son of Zeus and Semele (mortal and daughter of Kadmos/Cadmus, the founder of Thebes) Usually has a drinking cup and fruit vines Accompanied by a troop of satyrs and maenads Satyr: one of a class of lustful, drunken woodland gods—In Greek art, they were represented as a man with a horse's ears and tail, but in Roman representations as a man with a goat's ears, a tail, legs, and horns. Maenad: female worshiper or priestess of Dionysos

Dionysian Festival / Dionysia 4 day festival and theater competition in honor of Dionysos Location: at an amphitheater in Athens, Greece Process: Day 1: Opening day: choral hymns Days 2-4: play competition– 1 playwright would present 3 tragedies and a satyr; another playwright would present a comedy Prize: goat or a bull Audience: everyone attended; 14,000 spectators (even prisoners) Theater of Dionysos: looked like a semicircular football stadium; seats were made from stone on a hill; the stage was separated into two parts (orchestra where the chorus sang and danced around altar and a platform for the actors) Actors: actors were men and the chorus was made up of well-trained boys; used masks to amplify their voices; one person could play multiple parts

Greek Drama & Literary Terms Thespis: created the first actor; he had one member of the chorus play the hero or god (thespian: actor or actress) Aeschylus: playwright who added a second actor Tragedy: a play with heroic characters and an unhappy ending (tragic hero) Satyr Play: a comic, lewd play Comedy: a play with ordinary people as characters and a happy ending Myth: an old story rooted in a particular society that explains a belief, a ritual, or some mysterious aspect of nature

The Royal Line of Thebes

“He will kill his father and marry his mother…” Oedipus, which means club foot or swollen foot, was the son of King Laios and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. Oedipus’ parents learned that their son would kill his father and marry his mother, so they gave Oedipus to a shepherd to leave on a mountainside. Instead, the shepherd gave Oedipus to a Corinthian shepherd who gave Oedipus to the King and Queen of Corinth. Oedipus learned from the oracle’s prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so he left Corinth. Along his journey to Thebes, his birthplace, he killed his biological father.

“Meeting the Monster Sphinx” On the outskirts of Thebes, Oedipus encountered the Sphinx, which had the wings of an eagle, the body of a lion, and the breasts and face of a woman. This creature was menacing the town by asking travelers to answer a riddle. If the traveler could not answer correctly, the Sphinx devoured him/her. The riddle was “What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?” Oedipus solved the riddle with the answer man because an infant crawls on all fours, a man walks on two legs as an adult, and an old man leans on a cane in old age. Oedipus defeated the Sphinx, and as a result, the Sphinx leaped off a high rock.

“A Hero’s Welcome in Thebes” When Oedipus arrived in Thebes, where he had been born, the people believed that he was a hero because he had saved them from the Sphinx. Since King Laios was dead, they offered Oedipus the throne and the widowed queen, Jocasta, who was Oedipus’ mother. Oedipus and his mother had four children: Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone and Ismene. All went well until a plague struck Thebes. Oedipus decided to have his uncle/brother-in-law, Creon consult the oracle at Delphi.

“A Horrible Discovery” The oracle warned that the plague would not end until Thebes had punished the murderer of King Laios. Oedipus vowed to save Thebes. He questioned several people, including Teiresias, the blind prophet. He learned that the prophecy had come true, that he did kill his father and marry his mother. After learning the truth, Oedipus blinded himself and Jocasta killed herself. Creon became regent of Thebes. He decided to exile Oedipus. Oedipus wandered around as a beggar with his daughter Antigone until he died in Colonus.

“God’s Laws or Man’s?” Antigone returned to Thebes after her father died. Her two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, agreed to rule in alternate years. During Eteocles’s reign, which came first, he refused to give up the throne to Polyneices. As a result, Polyneices fled to Argos. He raised an army and attacked the seven gates of Thebes. During the battle, Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other. Creon then became king of Thebes. He decided to give Eteocles a hero’s burial. Since he considered Polyneices a traitor, he decided to leave Polyneices’s body unburied.

Sophocles – 496? B.C. to 406 B.C. 1. Professions: writer, actor, general, politician, priest, choragos (chorus leader) 2. He won 24 first prizes and 7 second prizes in 31 competitions. 3. He wrote more than 120 tragedies but only 7 survive. 4. His plays always contain a moral lesson, usually against pride (hubris) and religious indifference. 5. Sophocles added a 3rd actor to Aeschylus’s original 2, introduced painted sets, and expanded the size of the chorus to The “Theban” plays are Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. He wrote Antigone first, which was first performed in 442 B.C.

What is Tragic Hero? catharsis: the emotional purging that one is supposed to feel after watching a tragedy tragic hero: someone who is highly renowned and prosperous (royalty) who has a downfall that is caused by a tragic flaw tragic flaw: a fundamental character weakness (destructive pride, ruthless ambition, obsessive jealousy, etc.)