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

2. Theater of Dionysos

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

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

18. 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

19. 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!”

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