Nemesis is served in the play. Nemesis implies the concept of just punishment and reward for
action.
3. Thought
The themes/message of the play include:
relationship of man and the gods
fate vs free will
the search for self
4. Diction and Song
Diction refers to the choice of words to convey meaning and to portray irony. Song refers to the
musical, lyrical parts of the play, particularly the Choral speeches.
5. Spectacle
Spectacle refers to the sections of horror included to arouse pity and fear (pathos). These horrific
events often happened offstage because of the lack of technological special effects but were
represented through costumes, props and masks.
The Unities
The three unities are the principles of dramatic composition derived from Aristotle's "Poetics".
Aristotle states that a play should have the unity of a living organism, and that the action it
represents should last no longer than a single revolution of the sun. From these hints, 16th
century critics developed the rule of the three unities.
1. Unity of action-one main plot without sub plots. Everything is relevant to the action of the
main plot; it should have a beginning, a middle an end.
2. Unity of time-the action of the takes place in one day.
3. Unity of place-the action takes place in one location