1. Antigone and Greek Drama Notes

2. Greek Drama
Greek drama --honors Dionysos, the god of wine and fertility.
Thespis (thespians) transformed hymns sung to gods into songs that told the story of a famous hero.
Based on myths.

3. Types of Greek Plays
Tragedies were serious treatments of religious and mythic questions.
Satyr plays (named for wood demons) were comic and even unruly treatments of the same themes.

4. The Theater The theater was a semi-circular (like football stadium).
Actors amplified voices through mouthpieces in their masks.

5. Greek Theater (cont.)
All actors men, and the choruses were well-trained boys.
By switching masks, each actor could play several roles.

6. Sophocles
Sophocles -- generally considered the best of the ancient Greek playwrights.
His plays always contain a moral lesson, usually a caution against pride and religious indifference.

7. Sophocles’ Innovations
Sophocles added a third actor to the original two.
He introduced painted sets.
He expanded the size of the chorus to fifteen.

8. Sophocles’ “Theban” Plays
These three plays tell the story of Oedipus of Thebes and his family.
Oedipus the King
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone

9. Antigone Background
Since Greek audiences knew the story, suspense came from their knowledge of things the characters did not know: dramatic irony.
The audience pitied these characters.

10. Oedipus Myth
See handout.

11. Theme of Antigone
Conflict in Antigone—individual conscience at odds with established authority—is eternally relevant.
When we know that those in power are morally wrong, do we break their laws, or do we collaborate with them by obeying?

12. Tragedy
According to Aristotle, tragedy arouses pity and fear in the audience so that we may be cleansed of these unsettling emotions.
This idea is known as catharsis, a pleasurable sense of emotional release.

13. Tragic Hero This character is not completely good or bad.
His/her misfortune is brought about by some error or frailty, which is the tragic flaw (hamartia)
The flaw is often hubris: arrogance caused by excessive pride.

14. Tragic Hero (cont.) The hero’s fall must be from a tremendous height.
Because of the tragic flaw, the hero is responsible on some level for his or her downfall.

15. Tragic Hero (cont.)
The hero comes to recognize his error and accept the consequences.
He is not angry; he is humbled and enlightened.

16. Tragic Hero (cont.)
The audience, though, feels that the hero’s punishment exceeds his crime.
We see that the hero is flawed like us, and fear for ourselves because he failed.

17. Greek Theater Format
Plays opened with a Prologue that presented the background to situate the conflict.
The entering chorus sang a parodos, or opening song.
The chorus’s song, an ode, divided scenes and served the same purpose as a curtain does.
Chorus also provides summary or commentary and sets the mood.

18. The Chorus
During the odes, a leader, called the choragos, might exchange thoughts with the group in a dialogue.
During that recital, the group would rotate left to right, singing the strophe.

19. The Chorus (cont.)
The chorus would move the opposite direction during the antistrophe.
At the end, there was a paean (song of thanks to Dionysos) and an exodos (final exiting scene).