1. Medea
By Euripedes

2. Classical Greek Theatre
Greek amphitheaters were a center of celebration during the festival of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
Playwrights were selected to write plays for these festivals.
At the end of each festival, 10 judges would select a winner.

3. There would have been a lot of people in attendance at these events, so the style of acting was very big and dramatized so everyone could see what was going on, and initially the choruses were pretty huge (~50)—for similar reasons. And in early productions, all you had was the chorus—no actors to speak of—who sang in praise of Dionysus.

4. Aeschylus ( BC)
Widely considered the father of tragedy and improved on the form by adding additional actors.
Won 1st prize at 13 festivals…
…but only 7 plays have survived intact.
Plays dealt often with Gods and had a strong religious or moral emphasis.

5. Sophocles (496-406 BC) Wrote 123 dramas
Won at least 24 1st places and never finished lower than 2nd.
Wrote the “Oedipus cycle” following the life of Oedipus, king of Thebes, and his children:
Oedipus Rex
Antigone
Oedipus at Colonus
Expand on Oedipus Rex. Continued to add actors (up to 3)

6. Euripides (480-406 BC) Wrote ~92 dramas…
…but won 1st place at only 4 contests.
Wrote plays in which characters’ tragic fates stem almost entirely from their own flawed natures and uncontrolled passions.
He had a thing for a certain brand of female protagonists. The Gods stayed out of his plays as well, as he chose to focus on his own flawed characters.

7. Greek Tragedy
“Imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.”
Features a tragic hero—a protagonist of noble birth or high status who is not eminently good or bad, but possesses a tragic flaw (or flaws) that leads to his total destruction.
The events of a tragedy evoke pity and fear in the audience.

8. Greek Tragedy continued
Tragedy must have a moment of “emotional catharsis,” where the audience is cleansed of their accumulated pity and fear.
Written and performed in beautiful language.

9. Other characteristics of Greek Tragedy
Chorus: A group of characters peripheral to the action of the play who describe and comment upon the events of the play with song, dance, and recitation.
The audience typically knows the story better than the characters, which results in dramatic irony, where the audience knows something the characters do not.