1. Tragedy: Greek style

2. Characters and Elements of a Greek Tragedy
Antagonist – Character or Force opposing protagonist, gives rise to conflict
Protagonist – Hero, main character
Dramatic Irony – When the audience knows more about the story than the characters do.

3. A tragic figure is: Better than normal people
Has a reversal of fortune
Recognizes the consequences of his/her actions
Has uncommon suffering with uncommon dignity

4. Eventually tragic heroes:
fall from great heights or high esteem
realize they have made an irreversible mistake
face and accept death with honor
meet a tragic death

5. The Dirt on Oedipus
Thebes – town founded by a guy named Cadmus – defeats dragon but looses all his men
plants the dragons teeth in ground
giants are born, kill each other
5 survivors – Fathers and founders of Thebes

7. Laios and Jocasta – King and Queen
bear a son, Oedipus
even before birth, Apollo foretells disaster for him
He’ll kill his father and marry his mother

8. What do you do?
The only logical thing (in their eyes)
Kill him – Given to a Servant, left in the mountains with his feet pierced with an iron pin.
The Shepherd can’t do it, gives Oedipus to a Corinthian Shepherd
King of Corinth adopts him and names him Oedipus (swollen foot)

9. In Corinth . . . What would you do? Oedipus leaves, never to return
Oedipus grows up, hears Apollo’s prediction
What would you do?
Oedipus leaves, never to return
Oedipus wanders around – finds Thebes

10. In the mean time . . .
King Laios was killed on the road by an unknown traveler
Thebes is in the grip of the Sphinx
Oedipus comes along. He must solve a riddle to get rid of the Sphinx
He is made king, marries the queen and they have four children. They are very happy!

11. Literary terms- How the play is set up
Prologue – 1-2 char, provide background for story.
Parados – Chorus to set story’s mood and tone.
Episodes – scenes, move through action, dialogue
Ode – ends each scene and presents some of the truths or points out the meaning of some events to establish the play’s tone.

12. Another important terms:
Catharsis - release of emotions of pity and fear by audience, evoking compassion for the protagonist, (suffering, affirmation (as opposed to denial) of human values)
And remember . . .
Hubris – pride/over self-confidence leads protagonist to disregard divine warning or an important law