Classical Drama

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Classical Drama

• Classical Drama originated in the sixth century
  B.C. It developed a rich tradition in ancient
  Greece and Rome.

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The Greek Theater

• The Greek tragedies were produced as part of an
  annual religious festival in Athens.

• Each year new plays were presented before the
  entire populace of the city, and an award given
  to the playwright who presented the best series
  of three dramas.

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• Each playwright would produce three tragedies and
  a satyr.

Components of the play

• Tragedy a drama that recounts the downfall of a
  dignified, superior character who is involved in
  historically or socially significant events.

• Satyr a short, comic interlude. (Pokes fun _at_ a
  serious subject.)

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• Protagonist/Tragic Hero this character is in
  conflict with an opposing character or force, the
  antagonist.

• Tragic Flaw a defect in the hero that brings
  about or contributes to his or her downfall.
  This flaw may be poor judgment, pride, weakness,
  or an excess of an admirable quality. The tragic
  hero recognizes his/her flaw and its
  consequences, but only after it is too late to
  change the course of events.

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• Sophocles received the prize often during his
  long, productive life.

• The Theban Plays written by Sophocles
• Antigone (441 B.C.)
• Oedipus Rex (430 B.C)
• Oedipus at Colonus (401 B.C.)

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Characteristics of Sophoclean Tragedy

• It is based on events that already took place
  are familiar.
• The protagonist is a person of noble stature.
• The protagonist has a weakness and because of it
  becomes isolated and suffers a downfall.
• Because the protagonists fall is not entirely
  his/her own fault, the audience may end up
  pitying him/her.
• The fallen protagonist gains self-knowledge. He
  has a deeper insight into himself and understands
  his weakness.
• The audience undergoes catharsis, a purging of
  emotions, after experiencing pity, fear, shock
  and other strong feelings. The people go away
  feeling better.
• The drama usually unfolds in one place in a short
  period of time, usually about a day.

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Pride as a Character Flaw

• Pride was considered a grave sin because it
  placed too much emphasis on individual will,
  thereby downplaying the will of the state and
  endangering the community as a whole. Because
  pride makes people unwilling to accept wise
  counsel, they act rashly and make bad decisions.
  Great pride is referred to as hubris.

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• The plays were put on beneath the bright skies of
  Greece, in huge outdoor amphitheaters, somewhat
  like modern football stadiums cut in half.

• Built upon hillsides, they seated as many as
  40,000 people at a time.

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• The stage was a slightly raised platform in the
  open area upon the ground.

• A long building, called the skene, served as a
  backdrop of the action and as a dressing room.

• We do not know for certain all the details of the
  Greek theater. Scholars believe that the stage
  was backed by a structure with pillars and
  columns which could represent a palace or the
  walls of a city.

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• A spacious circular floor, the orchestra, was
  located between the skene and the audience.

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• All of the actors were men. They wore masks
  which may have contained built in megaphones to
  send their voices through the vast theater.

• The actors wore elegant robes, huge masks, and
  often elevated shoes which added to the grandeur
  of the spectacle.

• Sophocles used three actors in his plays between
  scenes, they changed costumes and masks when they
  needed to portray different characters.

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• The play depended more on the words the actors
  spoke than on the subtle effects of facial
  expression or gesture. The actors movements had
  to be broad and bold. This kind of theater has
  little relation to the realistic style of drama
  we expect today.

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• One aspect of the Greek theater which often
  confuses modern readers is the chorus. We still
  find the chorus in our musical comedies, but it
  is rare in serious plays and films.

• The Greek chorus was a group of actors (12-15)
  who moved and sang together as one character.
  Actually the plays themselves developed from a
  kind of community sing when bit by bit a chorus
  grew up that told stories in song and verse.

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• To this an actor was added who carried on a
  dialogue with the chorus. Then a second actor
  was added, and a third. With each additional
  actor, the chorus shrank in size and importance.

• Between scenes, the chorus sang and danced to
  musical accompaniment in the orchestra, giving
  insights into the message of the play.

• The chorus is often considered a kind of ideal
  spectator, representing the response of ordinary
  citizens to the tragic events unfolding in the
  play.

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• The chorus could also set the mood of the story.

• Sometimes the chorus sided with one or another
  character in the play.

• Sometimes it warned a character of impending
  disaster.

• Often the chorus, with its folk truths and its
  common sense, created a contrast with the loftier
  passions and thoughts of the hero.

• The chorus did NOT mouth directly the ideas of
  the author.

(Like todays background music, narrator, or text
that identifies time and place.)
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Conventions standard ways of presenting action

• The Greek tragedy usually followed conventions
  requiring unity of time, place, and action. A
  play took place within a single days palace or
  in the square of the city.

• Unity of action meant that the writer
  concentrated on one story line at a time. There
  were no subplots or diversions.

• Greeks felt that physical horror was so repulsive
  to see that it ruined the artistic effects of the
  drams. Therefore, all violent action s took
  place off stage. They were reported to he
  audience by messengers.

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• The Greek tragic dramatists seldom invented
  original stories or epics of their people.

• Sophocles audience knew the outcome of the story
  before arriving at the theater. The playwrights
  concentrated on character portrayal, on ideas,
  and on poetry.

• The center of the story was the emotions of the
  characters.

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Glossary of Greek Drama

• Catharsis a purification of emotions.

• Drama Literary work with dialogue written in
  verse and spoken by actors playing characters
  experiencing conflict and tension. In Greek
  drama, a play derives its plot from stories from
  history or mythology.

• Dramatic Irony Failure of a character to see or
  understand what is obvious to the audience.
  Oedipus, for example, was unaware early on of
  what the audience knew that he was married to
  his own mother, Jocasta.  

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• Dionysus Patron god of Greek drama god of wine
  and vegetation. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and
  one of the most important of the Greek gods.
  Dionysus died each winter and was reborn each
  spring, symbolizing renewal and rejuvenation.
  Festivals of Greek drama were held in his name.

• Hybris or Hubris Great pride. Hybris often is
  the character flaw in Greek drama.

• Ode Poem sung in a play or a festival. 

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• Prologue (Prologos) Introduction of a play that
  provides background material.

• Satire In Greek literature, a play or a passage
  in a play that pokes fun at public figures or the
  gods.

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A Greek theater consisted of the following  
Skene Building behind the stage. First used as
a dressing area for actors (and sometimes an
entrance or exit area for actors), the skene
eventually became a background showing
appropriate scenery.  Paraskenia Extensions or
annexes on the sides of the skene.  Proscenium
Acting area, or stage, in front of the skene.  
Orchestra Ground-level area where the chorus
performed. It was in front of the proscenium.   
Parados Passage on the left or right through
which the chorus entered the orchestra. 
Thymele Altar in the center of the orchestra
used to make sacrifices to Dionysus.  Theatron
Tiered seating area built into a hillside in the
shape of a horseshoe.  Machine Armlike device
on the skene that could lower a "god" onto the
stage from the heavens. 
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Some Words to Know for the Reading
Thebes Ancient City of E. Central Greece NW of
Athens.
Oracle of Delphi A shrine in Delphi where
people would consult a representative (priest or
priestess) of the god/goddess.
Sphinx In Greek mythology, the head of a woman,
body of a lion, teeth and wings and claws like an
eagle killed all who couldnt answer her riddle.
Cryptically With hidden meaning (ambiguous) or
using code or cipher.