Greek Drama (496-406 BC)
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Dionysus (Greek god of wine and fertility); theater grew out of the festivals that
honored the god, evolving from ritual chants & dances
Thespis – created the idea that one choral member should step out and speak: acting
is born (thespian means actor)
Actors wore masks so audience could see facial expressions
Tragedy – death or demise (downfall) of the hero; hero is usually of noble birth/part
of the aristocracy and is responsible for his own demise by the choices he makes
Hubris – excessive pride (remember: this has a negative connotation, it’s more
when a person believes they are better than others and is more interested in their
own welfare)
The Oedipus Myth
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Cadmus killed Apollo’s snake & a curse was put on his descendants
Prophecy for King Laius & Queen Jocasta (Thebes): their son will kill his father and
marry his mother
Laius gives Oedipus, who has had a rod driven through his ankles, to a servant to
leave the baby boy on a mountain to die
Servant feels badly and gives baby to a shepherd who then gives Oedipus to Queen
Merope & King Polybus of Corinth
Bothered by taunts about not being the true son of Polybus, Oedipus goes to the
oracle who tells him the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother
Oedipus flees in fear of fulfilling the prophecy
On his way to Thebes, Oedipus kills a charioteer, rider and others (EXCEPT for a
messenger) who are rude to him
Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, the monster who is terrorizing Thebes
As reward, Oedipus marries the Queen (Jocasta – his mother!) and becomes King of
Thebes
Twenty years later, Thebes is struck by a plague because Laius’s murderer was
living in Thebes unpunished
The play opens as the new king Oedipus begins an investigation into the murder of
the previous king Laius
IRONY – Oedipus is trying to help the city & find the murderer when he IS the
murderer and thus, the reason for the plague!
REMEMBER – Oedipus does not know that Laius is his real father; he also does not
know that Laius was the rider he killed on his way to Thebes
Keeping the Family Tree Straight!
Laius – biological father of Oedipus; king of Thebes
Jocasta – biological mother AND wife of Oedipus; queen of Thebes
Merope & Polybus – adoptive parents of Oedipus; king and queen of Corinth
Creon – brother of Jocasta, uncle AND brother-in-law of Oedipus
Vocabulary
1. suppliant – a person making a plea to authority
2. expiate – to get rid of guilt or sin
3. treachery – betrayal of trust through deceptive action
4. sluggard – lazy person
5. chide – to scold, express disapproval
6. calamity – an event causing distress
7. vex – to torment, trouble; to bring distress to; to irritate or annoy
8. augur – religious officials who interpreted omens; prophet
9. insolence - rudeness, disrespectful behavior
10. surfeit – an excess or extra amount
11. knave – male servant; dishonest person
12. invoke – to call on or appeal to (as in for help or aid); to declare to be in effect
(as in a law)
The Chorus
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sets a mood
serves as voice of public opinion
serves as the unconscious of the main character
strophe – song; antistrophe – counter song
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Foils
Foils – characters who are opposites and therefore highlight each other’s strengths
and weaknesses
When Oedipus is put next to Teiresias, O’s ignorance is highlighted
Oedipus
Able to see physically, blind to his
identity/the truth about himself
Teiresias
Physically blind, wise prophet who “sees”
truth
Oedipus
Reactive, violent, full of arrogance/hubris,
war-monger, interested in only his welfare
Creon
Reasonable, humble, willing to speak &
listen, peacemaker, looking out for welfare of
whole city