Greek Tragedy: Intro to Antigone

The Role of Gods in Greek Tragedies

• http://www.history.com/topics/greek-mythology/videos#greek-gods

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

Sophocles

• Introduced the third actor• Wrote over 120 plays (seven survive)• The most successful are the Big Three• Challenged conventional mores• Introduced more dialogue between characters

(less Chorus)• Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus at Colonus,

Antigone, Electra

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

Where Was Tragedy Performed?

• almost every Greek city had a theater

• Theaters could be very small or huge

• Each theater had specific parts

• Usually in the center of the city

The Staging of Tragedy - Actors

• Only males • Wore dramatic masks • Were only 3 actors on stage• Noisy props and heels

What are Greek tragedies about?

• Plot of a Greek Tragedy– The stories used in tragedy were

taken almost exclusively from mythology. These ancient myths and heroic legends were important to the Greeks, for they recorded what was thought to be the collective social, political, and religious history of the people and included many profound tales about the problems of human life and the nature of the gods.

What does the audience get out of it?

– The audience then learned from tragedy what personal motives and outside forces had driven the characters to act as they did. Because poets used plots familiar to their audience, they would have opportunities to use irony and subtle (or not so subtle) allusions.

Structure of a Tragedy• Greek tragedies were performed without

intermissions or breaks.• Prologue – the opening scene, in which the

background of the story is established, usually by a single actor

• Parados – the entrance of the chorus, usually chanting a lyric which bears some relation to the main theme of the play

• Episode – the counterpart of the modern act or scene, in which the plot is developed through action and dialogue between the actors, with the chorus sometimes playing a minor role.

Structure of a Tragedy, Cont.

• Stasimon – the choral ode. A stasimon comes at the end of each episode so that the tragedy is a measured alternation between these two elements.

• Exodus – the final action after the last stasimon, ended by the ceremonial exit of all the players

• Strophe – stanza that chorus sings as they move from right to left across the stage

• Antistrophe – countermovement; stanza that chorus sings as they move from left to right across the stage

Define Tragedy

• A tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, has magnitude, and is complete in itself. The incidents in the plot arouse pity and fear on the part of the audience so the end of the tragedy brings about a catharsis, an outlet or purging of emotions aroused in the play. The audience then leaves the theatre cleansed and uplifted.

Tragic Hero• Since the aim of a tragedy is to arouse pity and

fear through an alteration in the status of the central character, the tragic hero must be: – A figure with whom the audience can

identify so his fate can trigger the emotions of pity and fear on the part of the audience

– True to life and consistent– Highly renowned and prosperous, but

superior to everyone– Possesses a flaw in his character that

inevitably causes his downfall; this flaw is not a vice but a weakness of character

Before reading Antigone,

You must first understand the story

leading up to it.

Oedipus Rex

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXyek9Ddus4

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V_H6xklEJ0 (Rap)

The Cursed House of Laios

(Thebes)

(Corinth)

(adoptive)

The Cursed House of Laios

King Laius

Oedipus

Queen Jocasts

Queen Merope

King PolybusCreonEurydice

Eteocles(for Thebes) AntigoneIsmenePolyneices

(for Argos)

HaimonMagareus

(Thebes)

(Corinth)

(adoptive)

Rank the following principles according to their

importance to you. Give the most important a 1

and the least important a 6.

_______ Loyalty or obligation to family

_______ Obedience to civil law (police/gov.)

_______ Adherence to religious and/or moral law

_______ Protection of personal dignity

_______ Freedom

_______ Protection of community or nation

Fate

QuickWrites:1. What is fate? Is it destiny?2. Can one’s fate be altered?3. What might happen if people try to control

their fate/destiny?