Three Greek Tragedians Fifth century Greece leaned toward tragedy and theater. Three famous tragedians rose to fame.

1. Aeschylus: Born around 525 or 524 B.C. during Persian war into an aristocratic family Fought in battles and created timeless plays Participated in Great Dionysia (Festival honoring Dionysius where dramatists create and perform their plays to be judged) Won the Great Dionysia several times and was beaten once by his own student (Sophocles) He was known for being blunt and to the point Died of unknown causes, honored with sacrifices and performances

Aeschylus continued… WORKS: Wrote 90 plays, only 7 plays still survive today His tragic plays focused on justice He thought gods resented man and wrote about how man was often tricked by the gods His plays were not biased because he did not glorify the gods like many others

2. Sophocles – most successful / excellent student Born around 496 B.C. into a wealthy family Studied science, mathematics, philosophy, law and astronomy under Aeschylus (his teacher) Held public office, patron of the arts, popular Won Great Dionysia 18 times and beat his teacher once Lived during Persian war, Peloponnesian War and through the Athenian Golden Age Lived to be 90, which did not occur often at this time

Sophocles continued… WORKS: Wrote 123 plays, but only 7 survive today Known for artistic and philosophical skill Works were influenced by war (characters & themes) Believed through pain and suffering we become more human Felt matters of the heart make a more memorable and lasting impact Best known character – Oedipus

3. Euripides (class of his own) Born around 480 B.C. on island Salamis Passion for philosophy and questioned things Greeks held sacred Controversial and was openly disliked and criticized Did not partake in battle or hold public office Competed 22 times in Great Dionysia and won only 4 claiming biased judges caused his losses Died in Macedonia at the age of 77.

Euripides continued… WORKS: Wrote 92 plays, but only 10 – 17 survive today Fan of realism – depicted everyday people Deities were depicted on a common level and often equal to man in level of importance Brings women to forefront as main characters Felt people should seek answers through science, not only follow religion blindly Used innocent children as suffering victims to gain an audience’s empathy

Terms: Realism – depictions of everyday and activities and experiences, instead of a romanticized or stylized presentation Verisimilitude - refers to a real person, place, or thing described in much believable detail: the appearance of truth Deities – a general term that refers to all gods and goddesses