1. Discussion Point – 10/12/2016
Someone once said, “You’re not really living until you find something worth dying for.” What is the one person or thing that you would fight for with all of your strength, no matter what the obstacles?

2. Greek
Drama

3. Roots in Worship of Dionysus
God of wine and revelry

4. Origins Celebration of Dionysus- God of Wine
Performed in circular dancing place (orchestra)
A chorus of men dressed in goat skins
A story about Dionysus by leader of the chorus

5. PRODUCTION Orchestra Chorus (from 12-15 people)
Actors- always men, masked and in costumes
Early plays of Aeschylus- only two actors; by about 450 B.C., a third had been added
The poet composed the music and the dance as well as the text, directed the production, and trained the chorus; some dramatists also played the leading roles.

6. Masks of Greek Theater

7. Masks of Greek Theater

8. The Greek Chorus
The chorus was dominant because there was usually one actor and that actor had to leave the stage several times during a show to change characters.
The chorus was to be a representation of society, they often served as the “ideal spectator” by providing advice, opinions, questions to the audience and actors.
The main actor(s) stood apart in the performance space because they typically played heroic figure that would realistically be separated from normal mortal beings.
Their costumes and masks added spectacle and their movement and dance heightened the dramatic effect.
Great actors were characterized by their voice quality and the ability to adopt their manner of speaking to the character.

9. Functions of Chorus The beauty of poetry and dancing Relieves tension
Interprets events for audience
Often converses with the actors; gives advice
Gives background of events

10. Chorus

11. Tragedy A drama of a character, usually one in high position, where a conflict usually develops between the protagonist/hero and a “superior force (such as destiny, circumstance, or society)” and the story ends in some sort of disaster or great fall of the protagonist.
Tragedy
n A drama of a character, usually one in a
high position, where a conflict usually
develops between the protagonist/hero
and a “superior force (such as destiny,
circumstance, or society)” and the story
ends in some sort of disaster or great fall
of the protagonist.

12. Hubris and Hamartia Hamartia: “A tragic flaw or error that in
ancient Greek tragedies leads to the hero’s
reversal of fortune.”
Hubris: Excessive pride or arrogance.
Often leads to the downfall of the major
character in Greek tragedy.

13. GREAT GREEK TRAGEDIANS
AESCHYLUS (ca B.C.)
SOPHOCLES (ca B.C.)
EURIPIDES (c B.C.)

14. Sophocles
Only seven of his tragedies have survived into modern times with their text completely known.
The most famous of these are the three tragedies concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as the Theban plays or The Oedipus Cycle, (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, & Antigone) although they were not originally written or performed as a single trilogy.
Sophocles influenced the development of the drama, most importantly by adding a third character and thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot.
He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights such as Aeschylus.

15. Sophocles’ Truisms
Sophocles’ play, Antigone contains many words of wisdom or “truisms” (suggest universal meaning). Below are the themes (“truisms”) and the scene:line number where the text is found.
“Reason is God’s crowning gift to man” (3:52)
“Must not any son value his father’s fortune as his father does his?” (3:71-72)
“The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach” (3:91)
“A good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil” (5:34-35)
“There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods.”

16. Structure of Tragedy Prolouge-First Act
Parados- Entrance of the Chorus
Episodes- Acts
Stasima-Choral Odes
Exedus- Action after last stasimon

17. Typical Greek Theatre Theatron- where the audience sits Open air
Hillside
Seating capacity of the Theatron of Dionysus of Athens?
About 17,000

18. Dionysus Theater in Athens

19. Dionysus Theater in Athens

20. Orchestra-dancing place of the chorus
Skene- dressing room for actors
Proscenium- the façade of the skene where scenery was-
No curtains
Dues et Machina- technical device- crane atop the skene with a dummy hung representing gods.

21. The Greek Outdoor Amphitheatre

22. Differences… Drama, Then and Now
Greek drama(GD) is religious
GD get their subjects from mythology
GD outlines the plot in advance, little suspense
GD main interest is religion and ethical instruction

23. Dionysus Theater in Athens

24. Aristotle’s Poetics

25. Central Character is of the Elite Class
Central Character suffers a Downfall
Central Character is Neither Wholly good nor wholly evil

26. Downfall is the result of a Fatal Flaw (Hamartia)
Downfall is the result of a Fatal Flaw (Hamartia). The flaw is usually pride/arrogance before the gods (Hubris)

27. Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends
Tragic actions take place offstage

28. Audience experiences pity and fear
Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis
Oedipus and Sphinx