Where did Drama Come From?
Legendary Greek gods
and goddesses were,
by law, celebrated
through formal arts,
ceremonies, and rituals
during the Golden Age
of Ancient Greece,
often appearing as
characters in drama
Origins of Greek Theater
Began thousands of
years ago as dances
and songs performed
to honor the gods
Dionysus, god of
wine and
procreation, seemed
to be the subject of
many of these early
dramas
Dramas were usually
about the events that
occurred when the
gods spoke to and
interacted with men
Thespis was the first
actor who performed
around 534BC
Origins of Greek Theater
Most important events in ancient
Greece were performed outdoors;
dramas were no exception
Three week-long festivals were set
aside each year for the purpose of
dramatizing stories of the Greeks’
lives: one in March, another in
January, and another at varying times
throughout the year
Physical Structure of the Theater
The theater in which
Oedipus would have been
performed could collectively
hold at least 15,000 people
at one time.
The acoustics (sound
quality) of the amphitheater
had to be great; even
thought it was round in
shape, many of the folks
couldn’t see actors on stage
in the upper levels
As long as playwrights
wrote in parts for characters
that would explain
important setting
information, there was no
need for fancy props or
make-up artists
Theater, Greek (cont’d)
Theatron - Tiered seating area built into a hillside in
the shape of a horseshoe.
The Greek Thespian (Actor)
Three actors were the most to
appear on stage at any one time
There were, however, more than
three characters in a play – actors
would simply dress in costume and
perform more than one role per
play
The MASK the actor wore was key
to his “identity”
Costumes were oversized to make
the characters appear “larger than
life” to the audience
Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy
A Greek Tragedy….
(1) is based on past events familiar to the audience;
(2) has a main protagonist of noble status or birth;
(3) has a main protagonist whose downfall is caused by
a character flaw;
(4) has a protagonist who, in spite of his flaw, gets
sympathy from the audience;
(5) has a protagonist who gains self-knowledge through
his fall;
(6) has a plot that unfolds in one place in a short period
of time, usually about a day.
(7) allows the audience the chance to experience catharsis (a
release of pent-up emotions)
The structure of most Greek tragedies
presents a tight, formal arrangement of
parts, including:
The Prologue [opening scene]
The Parados [first of the Chorus’s lyric
songs]
A regular alternation of scenes in Dialogue
and Choral Odes
The Exodos [concluding scene]
Greek Dramatic Terms.
These are terms you must become familiar
with in order to gain a more complete
understanding of the function and structure
of Oedipus’ story. The terms that are most
important to this play are included in this
slide presentation.
Anagnorisis
Startling discovery; moment of
epiphany; time of revelation when a
character discovers his true identity. In
other words, this is the “Aha!” or “Oh
no!” moment of the play, depending
upon the nature of the revelation.
Antagonist
Chief opponent of the protagonist, or main
character, in a Greek play.
You may have to look beyond a “good guy/
bad guy” relationship to find the antagonist
of Oedipus!
Catharsis
In literature and art, a release of tension
/ pent-up emotions. The Greek
philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
used the term to describe the effect on
the audience of a tragedy acted out on
a theater stage. This effect consists in
cleansing the audience of disturbing
emotions, such as fear and pity, thereby
releasing tension.
Catharsis, cont’d
This phenomenon occurs in one of two ways:
1. Audience members resolve to avoid conflicts of
the main character–for example, Oedipus in
Oedipus Rex and Creon in Antigone–that arouse
fear or pity, or
2. audience members transfer their own pity and
fear to the main character, thereby emptying
themselves of these disquieting emotions.
Either way, the audience members leave the theater
as better persons intellectually, morally, or
socially. They have either been cleansed of fear
of pity or have vowed to avoid situations that
arouse fear and pity.
Chorus
Bystanders in a play who present odes on the action.
The chorus generally had the following roles in the
plays of Sophocles: (1) to explain the action, (2) To
interpret the action in relation to the law of the state
and the law of the Olympian gods, (3) to foreshadow
the future, (4) to To serve as actor in the play, (5) To
sing and/or dance, and (6) to give the author's views.
In some ways, the chorus is like the narrator of a
modern film or like the background music
accompanying the action of the film, or text on the
film screen that provides background information or
identifies the time and place of the action.
Dialogue
Conversation between characters in a
play.
Drama
Literary work with dialogue written in verse
and spoken by actors playing characters
experiencing conflict and tension. In Greek
drama, a play derives its plot from stories
from history or mythology. The English word
drama comes from the Greek word "dran,"
meaning "to do."
.
Dramatic irony
Failure of a character to see or
understand what is obvious to the
audience. Oedipus, for example, was
unaware early on of what the audience
knew: that he was married to his own
mother, Jocasta.
Hamartia
Character flaw or judgment error of the
protagonist of a Greek tragedy.
Hamartia is derived the Greek word
hamartanein, meaning to err or to make
a mistake. The first writer to use the
term was Aristotle, in The Poetics.
Hubris
Great pride. Hubris often is the character
flaw (hamartia) of a protagonist in Greek
drama. Pride was considered a grave
sin because it placed too much
emphasis on individual will, thereby
downplaying the will of the state and
endangering the community as a whole.
Because pride makes people unwilling
to accept wise counsel, they act rashly
and make bad decisions.
Machine
Armlike device in an ancient Greek theater that
could lower a "god" onto the stage from the
"heavens." The Greek word for machine, mechane,
later gave rise to a pejorative Latin term, deus ex
machina (god from a machine), to describe an
event in a literary work or film that could not
logically have happened other than by “divine
intervention” of sorts. The term (pronounced DAY
ihs ex MAHK in uh or DE ihs ex MAHK in uh) is
usually used adverbially, as in The policeman
arrived deus ex machina to overhear the murderder
admit his guilt to his hostage.
Mask
Face covering with exaggerated
features and a mouth device to project
the voice. Greek actors wore masks to
reveal emotion or personality; to depict
the trade, social class or age of a
character; and to provide visual and
audio aids for audience members in the
rear of the theater.
Peripateia
In a tragedy, sudden
reversal of fortune
from good to bad.
(Think “wheel of
Fortune” model)
Prologue / Prologos
Introduction of a play that provides
background material
Satire
In Greek literature, a play or a passage
in a play that pokes fun at public figures
or the gods.
Trilogy
Group of three plays on a related subject
or theme. “Oedipus the King” is the first
play of a Trilogy including “Oedipus at
Colonus” and “Antigone,” a play about
Oedipus’ daughter.
“Oedipus Rex”
Sophocles’
heroic
tragedy
Starring.....
Oedipus -
native of Thebes; subject of a terrible prophecy that
has him killing his father and marrying his mother; sent away, but
returns triumphant
Jocasta -
Queen of Thebes; marries Oedipus after the death
of her husband, the King
Creon - Jocasta's brother
Oracle at Delphi - predicts Oedipus’ fate
Antigone & Ismene - Oedipus’ daughters
Chorus - Theban citizens; comment on events as they unfold
Oedipus Rex – the first part of a three
part play – was actually written second.
The tale of King Oedipus would have been
very familiar to Sophocles’ audiences.
Oedipus, the ill-fated king of Thebes, has a
mysterious past that eventually catches up
with him and wreaks havoc on himself, his
family, and his country.
Oedipus had been traveling to Thebes from
Corinth, having run away from there because
of a prophecy from Apollo that he would kill
his father and marry his mother.
Oedipus didn’t know that the King and Queen
of Corinth weren’t his real parents, but that
he was in fact the child of Laius and Jocasta
of Thebes. They, too, heard this prophecy
at Oedipus’ birth, and made arrangements to
send the boy to Mount Cithaeron to his
death.
The old shepherd who brought him to the
mountain took pity on him, however, and gave
him to a shepherd from Corinth - who was
also tending his flock on the mountain.
This Corinthian man in turn gave Oedipus to
the King and Queen of Corinth, who named
him Oedipus [literally, “swollen foot” for
his injured ankles bound by Jocasta] and
raised him as their own.
Years later, as Oedipus traveled to
Thebes, he unknowingly met a man on
the road and killed him where three
roads meet.
This stranger, unbeknownst to Oedipus, was
his biological father, Laius. This murder set
the prophecy in motion.
Oedipus continued on to Thebes, where he
earned his reputation as a hero and deliverer
of the people by solving the riddle of the
Sphinx.
The Sphinx was a monster in the shape of a
lion with the wings of an eagle and the head
of a woman. It lay waiting outside the city
and would challenge any passerby to solve
this riddle: “What walks on four legs in the
morning, on two legs at noon, and on three
legs in the evening?”
If they could not answer her, they
were killed immediately.
But Oedipus gave the answer and thus saved
the city from its long period of suffering.
The hero married Jocasta, the queen, as a
reward. They have four children and rule
jointly with Jocasta’s brother, Creon, for
twenty years.
As the play begins, the city of
Thebes is suffering again, this
time from a terrible plague.
Creon reports from the oracle, or priestess,
that the plague will not end until the
murderer of Laius is found and punished.
Oedipus commits himself to locating the
murderer and suffers terrible consequences
as he discovers the horrible truth about
himself and his identity.
Because this story was well-known to Sophocles’
audience, he was able to focus his play on the
discovery of deeds committed before the actual
beginning of the play.
All violence takes place off stage, and what the
audience actually sees is the reactions of those
who must live with the truth or die. All action
takes place in a single location and involves a
small number of characters who interact with
Oedipus who, as the central figure, remains on
stage for most of the play.
The Chorus should be considered as a
single voice, a single “character” in this
play with a single conscience.
This conscience is representative of the
Theban people, the nameless, faceless mob
of onlookers who comment on events as
they unfold before them. At times they
interact with the other characters; other
times they simply provide commentary in
the same was a narrator would do.
The play consists almost entirely
of dramatic dialogue.
As you read, you will encounter long, powerful
monologues as well as short, angry banter between
characters. But in this work what is left unsaid is
often more powerful than what is stated outright.
Practically every line contains a double meaning,
chock full of irony that serves to heighten the
drama of the play. Even the Chorus only
gradually comes to grips with the events that have
taken place in their beloved Thebes.
The themes, or underlying messages, of
Oedipus Rex are crucial to the plays’
long-lasting appeal.
The themes explored in this tragedy include:
1. The quest for identity
2. The nature of innocence and guilt
3. Blindness and sight (all forms)
4. Fate verses Free Will
5. The Abuse of power
The action of Oedipus Rex may
be described as a search for the
truth.
As you read the play and experience the
tragedy along with Oedipus, pay attention to
the role each character plays in either
fulfilling or further complicating this search.