Live from Antiquity
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
I.
Appreciate ancient Greek drama through the
study of Sophocles play, Antigone
II. Evaluate the cultural and historical context of
Greek drama and its role in Greek society
III. Reconstruct the experience of seeing a Greek
drama performed and share that experience in
an imaginative presentation, performance, and
report
 How does Greek drama compare to our
modern theater?
 How do themes in plays from other
times and cultures relate to issues of
today?
 Tragedies and comedies of
fifth and fourth centuries
B.C. were written to
perform in the Theatre of
Dionysus at Athens
 The price of a ticket to the
Theatre of Dionysus was
two obols, as much as a
laborer earned in a day.
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 Because Greek tragedy and
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comedy originated with
the chorus, the most
important part of the
performance space was the
orchestra, which means 'a
place for dancing'
(orchesis). A tragic chorus
consisted of 12 or 15
dancers (choreuts), who
may have been young men
just about to enter military
service after some years of
training.
 The large size of the
theatre dictated a nonnaturalistic approach to
acting.
 All gestures had to be large
and definite so as to 'read'
from the back rows.
 The masks of tragedy were
of an ordinary, face-fitting
size, with wigs attached,
and open mouths to allow
clear speech.
http://www.alyssaravenwood.com/Images/press-photos/Greek-thumb/greektragedy-chorus.jpg
 Aeschylus—best known
for play, Prometheus
Bound, unknown if ever
performed
 Euripides—wrote about
women and mythological
themes; enhanced the
importance of intrigue in
tragedy
 Sophocles
http://z.about.com/d/ancienthistory/1/0/r/P/HdtAristpSophAeschPlEurSoc.jpg
 Born in Athens, 496 B.C.
 Work is considered the
epitome of Greek tragedy
 Matured during the Persian
Wars
 Talented and handsome
 Could not pursue his dream of
acting because of voice
problems
http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/26/2693/JFTUD00Z/bust-ofsophocles-ancient-greek-dramatist-and-poet.jpg
 Antigone was written at a time of national fervor.
 The chorus in Antigone is interesting—composed of
old men who are largely unwilling to see civil
disobedience in a positive light.
 Antigone deals with two main questions:
1.
2.
whether Polyneices ought to be given burial rituals;
whether someone who buried him in defiance of state
ought to be punished.
 State control
 Natural law
 Civil disobedience
 Citizenship
 Family
 Portrayal of the
gods
http://www.kmacare.com/images/antigone1.jpg
After reading Antigone, we will explore in small groups
the following conflicts:
• Men and women;
• Age and youth;
• Society and the individual;
• Human justice and divine law;
• The obligation we owe to the living and the dead
 Does Antigone’s
choice
demonstrate a
tragic pride and
inflexibility or an
heroic dedication
to virtue?
http://www.cps.ci.cambridge.ma.us/crls/writingcenter/antigone.jpg
 When in recent history have individuals
been forced to choose between the law and
human rights?
 When in your own lives have you faced a
choice like Antigone? The choice between
obedience to authority and remaining true
to one’s conscience.
 We are traveling back in time to the opening night
of Antigone.
 To better understand the play, we need to find out
more about the Athenian people.
 Each group will take a different aspect of Greek
culture and report back to the class how it
influences the drama.
 The four cultural small groups will be: family life,
politics, the arts, and religion.
Each group needs to address the following questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Where were Greek tragedies staged?
What did the stage look like?
What kinds of props and scenery were used?
When during the year were plays performed? When during
the day?
Who performed them? What costumes did they wear?
Who came to the plays? How did they behave? What were
they looking for—entertainment, knowledge, or
enlightenment?
What kinds of issues were addressed in plays?
What was the playwright’s role in the performance?
 Once you compile your
research and answers,
your group will create
either a newsletter or an
entertainment news
program promoting
Sophocles’ new drama,
Antigone . The projects
will be shared with the
class.
 Have fun and be creative!
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 The Greek Chorus
 Stichomythia
 Ode
 Dramatic Irony
 Greek Theater
 Pathos
 Episode
 Tragedy
 Anagnorisis
 Tragic Hero
 Catharsis
 Hamartia
 Deus ex Machina
 Hubris
 Perpeteia
 Compare the setting of the
play to those of modern plays
and how its limitations affect
staging.
 Consider what happens in key
episodes ; motivations and
actions of characters when in
a public setting with the
chorus always present,
hearing and seeing all.
 Speculate how dialogue and
intensity would change with a
private setting verses public.
http://www.aug.edu/~cshotwel/GReek.theater2.jpg
 What are the important
functions of the chorus?
Cite examples.
 Discuss modern plays
which incorporate a
chorus.
 Similarity or differences
between modern and
ancient choruses?
http://hollowaypages.com/images/15.jpg
 Discuss the importance
of the audience’s prior
knowledge of the events
in the plot and its impact
on the audience’s
experience and
appreciation of the
performance.
 How does foreshadowing
and dramatic irony affect
the audience?
http://www.agiftforlaughter.com/images/text/Theater_Audience_003.jpg
 What is a tragic
hero?
 Compare and
contrast Creon and
Antigone;
attributes,
epiphany, lack of
epiphany.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Lytras_nikiforos_antigone_polynices.jpeg
 Recreate and perform key episodes for
Antigone; using gestures, blocking, and
acting style you “observed” during opening
night.
 Discuss how play in enriched by seeing it in
performance and recognizing its
connections to Greek culture and society as
well as the world today.
 What would have
Antigone meant to the
women of Athens?
 What did Antigone say
about the role of women
in society?
 What can Antigone say
about the relationship
between men and
women in society today?
http://www.moyak.com/papers/greek-woman.jpg