6. “Tragedy is more important than
love. Out of all human events, it is
tragedy alone that brings people out
of their petty desires and into
awareness of other humans’
suffering. Tragedy occurs in human
lives so that we will learn to reach out
and comfort others”
---C.S. Lewis
7. “If a single person dies in
front of you, it is a tragedy.
If a million people die on the
other side of the earth, it is
a statistic.”
---Josef Stalin
8. “I’ve never thought of my
characters as being sad. On
the contrary, they are full of
life. They didn’t choose
tragedy. Tragedy chose
them.”
---Juliette Binoche
9. “Destiny has two ways of
crushing us– by refusing
our wishes and by
fulfilling us.”
---Henri Frederic Amiel
10. “What makes tragedy so
tragic is not that the noble
individual falls into ruin, but
that his fall causes so much
suffering in others.”
---Charmezel Dudt
11. What is critical to understanding the
play Oedipus Rex?
It is representative of Athenian tragedy of fifth century,
B.C.
It evolved from a ritualistic art form
Physical characteristics of the Greek theater itself
imposed restrictions
Many modern conventions of performance began with
Greek Theater
Oedipus Rex fits the Aristotelian definition of the perfect
tragedy
12. Origins in Religious Ritual
Greek drama is tied
directly to religious
rituals in which the
gods often
appeared as
characters in the
play, determining
the fate of mankind
and reflecting
religious beliefs
13. Origins in Religious Ritual
These performances
were so significant
that the government
of Greece suspended
business and daily
activities for the week
long festivals in honor
of the Greek god
Dionysus
14. Convention of 5 th Century
AtheniAn theAter
Celebrated
kings and
heroes often
became
protagonists
in the plays
15. Physical Characteristics of Greek
Theater Imposed Restrictions
The theater
accommodated at
least 15,000 people—
all the citizens—
creating poor
acoustics and vision
problems for those in
the back
16. Why they wore masks…
As a result , actors wore
masks with
“megaphones” to
project their voices.
The masks also were
exaggerated
expressions for those
seated far back.
Masks also allowed
actors to change roles
quickly and easily.
19. The audience sat on benches in the
theatron , “the seeing place.”
20. The rectangular building with three doors,
called the skene (“scene”), served as the
general backdrop for the action as well as an
area for the actors to change costumes,
masks, and roles
21. Lighting Restrictions
All plays were
performed during the
day because lighting
was not available at
night. Performances
tended to last from
dawn ‘til dusk.
22. Other restrictions…
A lack of painted
scenery and the
passage of time in the
performance had to
be indicated through
character lines or the
chorus.
23. Parados (“parade”)
The chorus was
made up of nearly
fifty citizens. The
chorus would enter
in the beginning or
parados chanting
and relating the
theme or conflict of
the play
24. The Function of the Chorus
Create psychological and
emotional background to
the action
Introduce and question
new characters
Point out significant
events as they occur
Establish facts and affirm
the outlook of society
25. Modern Conventions from Ancient
Greece
Thespis, the first
actor, stepped
from among the
ranks of the
chorus to speak
lines AS A GOD
rather than lines
ABOUT A GOD.
26. Beginning of dialogue
Thus, the
concept of
dialogue began
with playwrights
generating
interactive lines
between actor
and chorus
27. Introduction of the second actor
Aeschylus, the earliest
of the three great
tragedians,
introduced the second
actor. This allowed
another direction for
dialogue.
28. Introduction of the third actor
Sophocles, the second
of the three great
tragedians,
introduced the third
actor, the most actors
ever to appear on the
stage together in
Greek drama.
29. Aeschylus, sophocles, euripedes…
the three greAtest trAgediAns
Both Aeschylus
and Euripedes,
the third and
latest of the
great Athenian
tragedians, also
employed the
third actor.
30. Costuming
Costumes were
designed to make the
actors appear larger
than life to help an
audience see them
from a distance and
to elevate the status
of their roles
31. Costuming
Often the costumes
were oversized and
cumbersome,
preventing a lot of
movement. A
declamatory style
of acting helped
accommodate the
actor’s lack of
mobility
32. Rhetorical Technique
A rhetorical tradition
of the period was
seen in lengthy
monologues and
stichomythic
dialogue between
two characters
essentially in a
debate.
33. Structure of Greek Drama
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Prologue the opening scene where the
background of the story is established
Parodos chorus enters with chants relating to
the theme or an extreme situation
Episode plot is developed much like a modern
Act or scene
Stasiman at the end of each episode, the
chorus expresses views
Exodus final action
34. Dramatic Conventions of Greek Tragedy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Continuous presence of the chorus after the
prologue; no intermissions
No interior scenes
No lighting effects
No acts of violence before the audience
Mythical subjects
Male actors only with masks
Dialogue in stichomythia
Frequent use of a messenger
Uses of machine- deus ex machina
Dramatic unities sometimes
35. Aristotle
Pupil of Plato
Teacher to Alexander
the Great
Photographic memory
Scientific in thought
Famous for his views
on TRAGEDY,
mathematics, and
deductive logic
The Poetics
36. Aristotle first proposed how tragedy works…
a.
Unity of Action: nothing happens that
does not in some way specifically
advance the action forward
b.
Unity of Setting: all of the action occurs
in one geographical location
c.
Unity of Time: all events occur within a
single day
37. AristoteliAn Unities
Oedipus Rex is an example of what are now
referred to as Aristotelian Unities
Adherence to these tenets of unity makes for
the taut, spare austerity we have come to
associate with Greek tragedy.
38. Characteristics of Sophoclean Tragedy
Based on an event that
already took place and
which the audience is
familiar
The protagonist is of
noble stature
The protagonist has a
weakness, and because
of it, becomes isolated
and suffers a downfall
The audience may pity
the protagonist because
the downfall is not entirely
his fault
The fallen protagonist
gains self knowledge
The audience undergoes
a catharsis, a purging of
emotions, after
experiencing pity, fear,
shock and other strong
emotions. The people go
away feeling better
The drama usually
unfolds in one place and
in one day
39. Themes in Oedipus Rex
Fate punishes the proud and insolent with
an ironic outcome that is terrible
The bigger they are, the harder they fall
40. The Purpose and Effect of Tragedy
Emphasizes
human
suffering
Ends with rigid finality
Moves with solemnity
and foreboding
Emotional response
of pity and fear
Laments man’s fate
Identification with the
hero
Criticizes hubris, self
delusion, and
complacency
Offers some HOPE
(man can learn), but
stresses the
limitations of the
human condition
41. The Tragic Struggle
Serious and painful
struggle
Struggle against the
unchangeable
Discovery of true
nature leads to hero’s
isolation
Struggle between
man and destiny
Life and societal
norms are at odds
Struggle is dominated
by fate
Struggle against
predictable and
inevitable
Struggle with forces
beyond man’s control
42. Tragic Methods
Tragedy depends
upon the validity
of universal
norms
Coherence in the
episodes
Plot moves from
freedom of choice
to inflexible
consequences
Causality dominates
pattern of (a) deed,
which leads to (b)
suffering, which
leads to (c)
recognition or
understanding
