Greek Tragedy Everything you wanted to know about Greek tragedy but were afraid to ask

Theater of Dionysos

The Playwrights Three major tragedians All active in the 5th century Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides All active in the 5th century All won first place in multiple competitions Only Athenian plays survive

Sophocles b. 496 d. 406 Served as a general with Pericles (441) Very active in city politics (413) First tragedy 468 First first prize 468 Won 18 first prizes Never finished third

Sophocles Introduced the third actor Wrote over 120 plays (seven survive) The most successful of the Big Three Challenged conventional mores Introduced more dialogue between characters (less Chorus) Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, Electra

The Staging of Tragedy “Classical theater resembled today’s rock concerts: the audience knew every number by heart, performers wore high heels, loud costumes and heavy make-up, and they relied on background singers, known as the Chorus.” -Howard Tomb

The Staging of Tragedy - Actors Maximum of three actors Aeschylus second Sophocles third All roles played by men Same group of actors for each set of plays for each author

The Staging of Tragedy - Actors Playwrights did not act in their own plays after Sophocles Chorus publicly funded A choregos would pay for and train the chorus Viewed as a civic duty Could be prosecuted for failing to do it wealthy enough Choregos got a monument if his chorus won

The Staging of Tragedy - Costumes Actor wore: Mask Robes Platform boots (kothornoi) Chorus could be in costume (comedy)

The Staging of Tragedy - Masks The most important feature! All parts by men, so mask depicted gender Acted as a megaphone Voice inflection paramount Multiple Masks = Multiple Characters Only three actors More than three speaking roles, need for costume and mask change Oedipus and his eyes

Greek Tragedy Nearly all surviving tragedies are based on myth Character’s struggle against hostile forces ended in defeat and ultimately in death A series of dramatic episodes separated by choral odes (mini-songs). Episodes performed by a few actors - never more than 3 on stage

So… what is a Tragic Hero anyway? Born of noble birth Fatal flaw – personality and/or judgment Fate controlled by fatal flaw Must suffer more than he/she deserves Must be doomed from the start, but bears no responsibility for possessing flaw Noble in nature but imperfect (human) Must have discovered fate by own actions Story should arouse fear and empathy (could happen to someone Must be physically/spiritually wounded by experiences, often resulting in death

Tragic Hero Background The tragic hero is a man* of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle. * Could also be a woman (i.e. Antigone)

Born of Noble Birth Typically a king or member of the royal family Someone that normal people would “look up to” or admire – has outstanding qualities Has outstanding quality or greatness, but audience must identify with him (i.e. “nobody’s perfect!”) Without imperfections, downfall would seem improbable or caused by fate only

Possesses a Fatal Flaw Also called the Hamartia Traditional fatal flaw is hubris, or excessive pride Flaw ultimately leads to hero’s downfall, often death

Fate is controlled by flaw First enjoys privileged life (remember noble birth!) Flaw causes a reversal of fortune called the Peripeteia Ultimate fate is a downfall, often death Downfall seems more impressive due to fall from noble position

Must be physically or spiritually wounded by experiences May be injured, or may suffer losses of family or fortune Wounds are not entirely deserved

Bears no responsibility for flaw, only for actions influenced by flaw Actions result in an increase of self-awareness and self-knowledge Fate is discovered by his own actions, not things happening to him Downfall is a result of free choice

Downfall arouses pity or fear Audience feels pity for hero because flaw is not his fault, so downfall seems undeserved Audience feels fear because they can identify with hero’s thoughts and actions “Wait…this could happen to me!”

In the end… They die! Always Everytime Period And it’s usually a horrible, painful death, often ironically connected to their fatal flaw!