Greek Drama
Background
All you need to know to confidently
analyze the theater that began the
western traditions which brought us
Hair, Grease, and Mamma Mia!
Origins of Greek Drama
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Originally a ceremony of state
religions—plays produced only at
religious festivals
Six-day religious festival honoring
Dionysus, god of wine, revelry,
fertility, and song (Roman Bacchus,
god of vegetation) at the end of each
season, 4 major festivals. The
greatest of these was in spring
“Greater Dionysia”
Schedule for Original Greek Drama
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Days one through three—one long parade or
religious procession, followed by many holy
sacrifices, choral singing contests, etc.
Three days of drama—tragedy, tragedy, tragedy,
comedy / Drama was foremost at the event at the
festivals. Each day a tragic poet presented his
tetralogy (set of four total plays: three tragedies,
and one Satyr play).
Each afternoon there was also a comic poet’s
play.
Details about the
Original Greek Theater
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The playwright was director, coach, and
often actor as well.
Last day was grand judging of the plays
and awarding of prizes
The winner of the festivals received Laurel
Wreaths as an award of honors (Hence,
“don’t rest on your laurels!”)
Origins of Greek Drama
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The winner of the early tragedy
competitions were awarded a “tragos” or as
you know it, a goat.
The origin of the word Tragedy is
“tragoedia” meaning “goat song”
Cost of the plays and prize money was
borne by wealthy citizens chosen by the
city-state
Origins of Greek Drama
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Theater was a public event—large crowd,
country people, foreigners, even slaves
(they were released for the festivities)—
14,000 to 25,000 spectators
Setting the stage
Setting the Stage
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Scene of drama is outdoor (amphitheater), on
hillsides to permit seeing and hearing. There was
no stage, the actors performed in front of a staged
building, which represented a palace or temple.
Between the actors and the audience was the
dancing circle or “orchestra,” in the center of
which stood the altar to Dionysus which was a
reminder of the religious nature of the play.
Setting the Stage
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There were no artificial lights, so
performances began at sunrise. The best
surviving example of these first theaters is
the theater at Epidaurus. The Athens
Theater, near the southeast foot of the
Acropolis, could accommodate about
14,000 spectators.
Other Details about Greek Theater
 Poetic
form always employed
 No curtain or intermission
None of this stuff.
Hey, haven’t I heard that story before?
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Since plots were usually well-known myths,
the audience knew the plot before the play
began. So the play was about the
instruction of the play, the spectacle as a
whole and the dramatic irony.
Drama is…
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Meant to be seen or
performed, not read.
Becomes a play when
it is acted out.
Drama has…
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Elements just like a novel or a short story:
plot, characters, setting, and theme.
Modern Drama also contains different
elements: lighting, sets, props, etc.
Drama has…
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Stage Direction is what we call the writing
that tells actors where to move and the
behind the scenes people what to do.
Drama has Peripeteia
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A reversal of circumstances or turning
point, sudden change of events.
Drama has Character Foils
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Is a character that
highlights or brings
out the personality
traits of another
character, and the
contrast serves to
emphasize the other
character’s traits.
Drama has Anagnorisis (an-ag-NOR-uh-sis)
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The recognition by the tragic hero of some
truth about his or her nature, identity, or
actions that accompanies the peripeteia.
This is the beginning of the dénouement
(any action after the conflict is
resolved).
I’m hearing voices…
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Monologue is
a speech in
which one
character is
talking, but
there are other
characters on
stage.
Poor guy. His
monologue
was over when
the others left
the stage. 
I’m hearing voices…
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Soliloquy is a speech in
which one character is
alone on stage
expressing his/her
thoughts to the audience.
Hamlet’s “To be, or not to
be” speech is a pretty
famous soliloquy
I’m hearing voices…
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Dialogue is conversation between
characters.
Comedy is…
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A type of drama where the hero overcomes
his flaws and triumphs in the end.
What is Tragedy?
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Aristotle's ideas about tragedy were
recorded in his book of literary theory titled
Poetics. In it, he has a great deal to say
about the structure, purpose, and intended
effect of tragedy. His ideas have been
adopted, disputed, expanded, and
discussed for several centuries now.
The following is a summary of his basic
ideas regarding the tragic hero:
Greek Heroes Share More Than
Fame...
Greek Hero Structure
The Greek nobility valued strength and
skill, for these attributes enabled the
person who possessed them to achieve
glory and honor, both in his lifetime and
after he died.
This value is known as Arête.
Hero Structure:
What's wrong with being great????
Arête = striving for excellence: Strength,
skill, courage, intelligence, insight,
ingenuity: Be the best of the best.
What is the danger of Arête?
Hero Structure:
What was the danger of Arête Again?
The hero forgets his human limitations
and thinks he’s greater than he actually
is…
Which leads to…
Hubris = excessive pride.
What is the danger of hubris?
Hero Structure:
What is the big danger of hubris?
Hero does / says something excessive without
thinking of the consequences…
Which leads to…
Até = blind, rash behavior.
Até leads to…
Hero Structure:
What the heck could Até possibly do?
I know... It could bring
Nemesis=retribution:
Gods
punish hero directly or
other humans punish him.
Either
way the hero brought
his fate upon himself through
free-will.
So What do Greek Heroes Have
in Common?
1. A
fundamental
belief in freedom
Greek Heroes, cont.
2. A supreme pride (hubris)
The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has
greatness. This should be readily evident in the
play. The character must occupy a "high" status
position but must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as
part of his/her innate character.
Greek Heroes, cont.
3. Capacity for suffering
The hero's misfortune is not wholly
deserved, and is more severe than
his crime.
Greek Heroes, cont.
4. Strong sense of commitment
5. Not too good/ too
bad.
Though the tragic hero is preeminently great, he/she is not
perfect. Otherwise, the rest of us-mere mortals--would be unable to
identify with the tragic hero. We
should see in him or her someone
who is essentially like us,
although perhaps elevated to a
higher position in society.
Greek Heroes, cont.
6. Flaw “Hamartia”
(term used in archery to
mean, “near miss”)
Often the character's hamartia
involves hubris (defined previously
as a sort of arrogant pride or overconfidence).
Greek Heroes, cont.
7. Vigorous protest of
limitations, fate, or any
reality that doesn't quite
fit into the hero's plan.
Greek Heroes, cont.
8. At some point every hero
undergoes a major
Transformation as a result of his
conflicts and fate. This is called
the “Fall.”
Greek Heroes, cont.
9. After the Transformation, the
hero experiences some impact
(understanding). In other words,
the light bulb goes off. So the Fall
wasn't all bad, he gains wisdom
and knowlege that he never
would have gotten otherwise.
Even if he doesn’t live long
enough to apply it. 
Greek Heroes, cont.
10. The hero,
at least
partially,
chooses
his/her fate.
Greek Heroes, cont.
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The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially
her/his own fault, the result of free choice,
not of accident or villainy or some
overriding, malignant fate.
In fact, the tragedy is usually triggered by
some error of judgment or some character
flaw that contributes to the hero's lack of
perfection noted above.
Greek Heroes, cont.
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This error of judgment or character flaw is
known as hamartia and is usually
translated as "tragic flaw" (although some
scholars argue that this is a
mistranslation).
Tragedy is it all bad?
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Even in tragedies, there is usually some
comedy.
Major Players in the Theater
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Sophocles (497-406 B. C.)
increased the number of actors
to three.
Increased the number of
chorus members to fifteen.
Was first to introduce scene
painting.
Sophocles
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Sophocles lived during the time of the highest
cultural achievement in Athens. He was well
educated. He founded a society for music and
literature. In a 60-year period, he composed
123 plays (only seven survive in their entirety).
So popular that when he first competed,
military had to be posted for security.
His career paralleled the rise and fall of the
Athenian Empire.
He won the first festival of Dionysis in which
he competed – defeated Aescylus. Won
approximately 20 times. Never won third
place.
Sophocles
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Child prodigy in the humanities.
Acted in his own plays, but quietly.
He was a priest of Alcon & Asclepius ()
Close friend of Pericles (Ruler of 5th
century Athens)
Political connections made their way
into his plays A LOT.
Sophocles
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Born and was raised in Colonus (setting
of Oedipus at Colonus)
Father very wealthy.
Married to Nicostrata, but he had, like all
Greeks, some men on the side.
Son, Iophon, took him to court for being
senile. He recited Oedipus at Colonus
to prove sanity.
Historical Perspective on Sophocles:
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Out of Sophocles’ drama came many of the
precepts of Aristotle’s Poetics (One hundred
years later)
Tragedy (as defined in The Poetics)
The imitation of an action that is serious in itself,
with incidents arousing pity and fear, for the
purpose of effecting catharsis (literally means a
cleansing) (Kartharsis) also called the tragic
vision.
Oedipus Rex
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Written
between
430 and 415
B.C
Author:
Sophocles
497-406
B.C.
Back Story
Due to Unity of Action, Oedipus Rex begins
In Medias Res (in the middle of things).
It means that it begins just before the climax
of the Oedipus Rex story.
This is also because the entire audience
already knew Oedipus’s story, so it was
more about the ironies and the justifications
of the gods pointed to in the themes of the
play.
Ironies
So, note as we read the amount of ironies
present in the play, and it is your job to
know the 3 ironies:
Verbal – the opposite of what is said is meant
Situational – the opposite of what is
expected, happens
Dramatic – the audience knows something is
ironic, but the characters do not
Themes in Oedipus Rex
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Man must accept the responsibility for his
acts and their consequences regardless of
his motives and inability to control the
forces.
Themes in Oedipus Rex
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Intellectual pride leads to punishments and
one must assume personal responsibility
for suffering.
Themes in Oedipus Rex
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Man in search of himself tries to assert this
freedom in spite of dominance of the gods.
The only way to free himself from the
forces of the gods is through selfknowledge.
Themes in Oedipus Rex
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One must question. The
blinding is an assertion of
personal freedom and selfknowledge. This frees him
from the gods.