Geeky Greeks and Robust Romans

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Geeky Greeks and Robust Romans

• A look at how a few folks a few thousand years
  ago began a few trends
• HAVPA Grade 10 Lile 2002

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Geeky GreeksGroveling for Great Grapes
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Main Characters

• Dionysus god of wine (grapes)
• Thespis first playwright (boring)
• Aristotle wrote Poetics
• (about drama)

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Tragic Playwrights

• Aeschylus (It was all like public speaking)
• Formal characterization
• Added second actor
• Sophocles
• Added third actor
• Considered the tragic ideal
• Euripides
• Less formal
• Wrote about the underdog

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What the big guy wrote

• Sophocles
• Oedipus trilogy
• Oedipus the King
• Guy kills dad, marries mom
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Guy wanders, dies
• Antigone
• Girl breaks law, hangs self,
• everyone dies

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Style of Greek drama

• Who?
• Men, boys played all characters
• No women
• What?
• Tragedy
• When?
• Festival for Dionysus
• Daytime

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Style of Greek drama

• Where?
• Amphitheatre
• Why?
• Honor the gods
• Entertainment
• How?
• Bare stage
• Formal acting more like public speaking

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TragedyorWhose Fault Is It, Anyway?

• Five key elements
• Good, noble, upper class man
• Hubris
• Tragic flaw
• Pride
• Bad decisions
• Falls
• Dies

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Tragedy Part IIorA Tale of Two Feelings

• Two emotions
• Described by Aristotle
• Fear
• Pity
• Catharsis
• Purging of the emotions

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Robust RomansRoaring Rioters
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Roman Dramaor Is this a dagger I see before me?

• Romans didnt do much drama
• Mostly comedy
• Violent entertainment
• Chariot racing
• Gladiator fights
• Naval battles
• Enemies (often Christians) and lions

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Life and DeathorTo Be or Not To Be

• Greeks
• Valued life
• Philosophy for fun
• Thinkers
• Drama
• No violence (drama)

• Romans
• Valued fighting
• Violence for fun
• Fighters
• Not much drama
• Violence (everything)

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Stay Tuned To Hear The Rest Of The Story