GREEK TRAGEDY
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy
 “the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as
having magnitude, complete in itself”
 “incorporates incidents arousing pity and fear,
wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such
emotion”
 Tragic hero will most effectively evoke pity and fear
if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil –
combination of both
 Tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is “better
than we are” – higher than ordinary moral worth
 Suffers a change of fortune from happiness to misery
because of a mistaken act to which he is led by his tragic
flaw or hamartia.
Hamartia
 Term developed by Aristotle
 Hamartia – the character’s flaw or error
 Rooted in the idea of missing the mark
 Can be an accident, mistake, wrongdoing, error or
sin
 Most common form of hamartia in Greek
tragedies was hubris
 Hubris – “pride” or overweening self-confidence
which leads a protagonist to disregard a divine
warning or violate an important law
Tragic Heroes….
 …are:
 Born into nobility
 Responsible for their own fate
 Endowed with a tragic flaw
 Doomed to make a serious error in judgment
Tragic Heroes…
 …eventually:
 Fall from great heights or high esteem
 Realize they have made an irreversible mistake
 Faces and accepts death with honor
 Meet a tragic death
Greek Tragedy
 Greek drama flourished in ancient Greece
between 550-220 BC
 Athens, the political and military power during
this era, was the center of Greek theater
 Theatrical forms that emerged:
 Tragedy (late 6th century BC), comedy (486 BC), and
satyr
 Dramas were performed during festivals
honoring the god Dionysus (god of wine, inspirer
of ecstasy)
 Performances were competitions
 Usually presented in trilogies
Major Greek Tragedians
 Aeschylus
 father of tragedy
 Profoundly altered tragic drama by the addition of a
second actor – reduced the chorus’ role
 Themes often dealt with fate and justice of the gods
 Major trilogy dealing with Oedipus: Laius, Oedipus,
and Seven Against Thebes
 Seven Against Thebes: After Oedipus step down as
king his sons agreed to alternate the throne each
year. Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices
attacked. The brothers ultimately kill each other
 Aeschylus won 1st place in the festival in 467 BC for
Seven Against Thebes
Major Greek Tragedians
 Sophocles
 Won the competition more often than anyone else
 Increased the potential for dramatic conflict by
adding a third actor
 Most famous for the Theban Plays, or Oedipus
Cycle, which consisted of Antigone, Oedipus the
King, and Oedipus at Colonus
 His themes often dealt with a character’s hubris
Major Greek Tragedians
 Euripides
 First competed in 455 BC, one year after the death
of Aeschylus
 Came in 3rd because he refused to cater to the
preferences of the judges
 He was more subversive than the others, creating
more realistic characters (such as strong women
and intelligent slaves) and satirizing popular
heroes
 Medea – story of the revenge of a woman
betrayed by her husband, who left her to
marry another woman
Myths – played a key role in
Greek drama
 Explained the unexplainable
 For example: Echo
 When Echo tried to get Narcissus to love her, she
was denied. Saddened, she shriveled to nothing;
her existence melting into a rock.
 Only her voice remained – hence, the echo
Myths
 Justified religious practices
 Dionysian cults which worshipped Dionysus
 Gave credibility to leaders
 Myths were used to create family trees for leaders
 Enforced the idea that the leaders were related to
the god - demigods
Myths
 Gave hope
 Ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice and
pray to an Oracle
 Oracle – a priest/priestess who would send a
message to the gods from mortals who brought
their requests
 Where did hope come from?
 Polytheistic (more than 1 god)
 Centered around the 12 Olympians