Transcript Unit 1 - rcschools.net

“Genre Study” and Oedipus
A category of literature. The main
literary genres are fiction,
nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
 An
autobiography is a story about a person’s
life and is written by the person who lived it.
An autobiography can be about the person’s
whole life, part of that person’s life, or a
single event.
A
biography is a selection about a real
person's life that is written by another
person.
A fantasy is a make-believe story
that could never happen in the real
world.
 Some characters and plot situations
may be realistic, while others are
exaggerated and even silly.
 The author uses a realistic
classroom setting but then
introduces fantastic
characters who do impossible
things.

 Fiction
stories are stories that the author
has made up.
 Fiction is an untrue story. Characters and
events may be realistic, even though they
might be unusual or even unlikely in some
way.
 The
original author is unknown and that folk
tales often have different versions. These
stories are passed down through generations
over many centuries.
A
myth is a tale
that has been passed down through
generations and tells about nature
and human behavior.
 Like
a novel or a short story, a play tells a
story but it is written to be acted out for an
audience. Plays have many unique literary
elements such as acts, scenes, stage
directions, and speech tags.
 Poetry
is an arrangement of words in lines
having rhythm. Sometimes those lines rhyme,
as in this narrative poem.
 Tall
tales are amusing stories told with great
exaggeration and bigger-than-life characters.
Born in Colonus, a small
town outside Athens, Greece
in 495 B.C.
•As a young boy, Sophocles was prized for his exceptional abilities
in poetry, music, and dancing.
•Sophocles began as a performer at age 15, as he was chosen to
perform at a celebration in Athens.
•He went on to become an established playwright in Athens. He was
first recognized as a playwright for winning 1st prize at an annual
theatrical competition when he was 28 years old. This was
significant because he won the prize over Athens’ predominant
playwright.
•Only seven exist in their entirety today.
They are …
Ajax
*Antigone
Electra
*Oedipus Rex
The Trachiniae
Philoctetes
*Oedipus at Colonus
445 B.C.
440 B.C.
440 B.C.
430 B.C.
413 B.C.
410 B.C.
401 B.C.
Sophocles greatly influenced the technical
aspects of Greek theatre.
1. Originally, drama was performed on an
open-air theatre with few props or sets.
Sophocles expanded using stage machinery
(utilized technological advances) and sets.
He was the first to use a crane to
“miraculously” lower and take away actors!
He also used painted scenery.
2. Variations in the types of music sung by the
chorus
3. Changed cast size (Introduced a third actor and reduced the
chorus from 50 people to 12)
4. Used more elaborate costumes, including masks
How do you think Sophocles’ new ideas and
changes impacted drama?
 More
complex plot development due to added
actors, and costumes (allowed them to portray
more characters)
 Easier to distinguish sets, more developed sets,
doesn’t leave quite as much up to the
imagination
 Easier to distinguish characters, due to
costuming and elaborate masks
 Interesting, unexpected events by using
machinery
 Sophocles was
said to have been especially blessed by the
Greek gods because he was attractive and had exceptional
abilities.
 Society had much admiration and deep respect for him
because of the impact he made on their lives.
 All of Athens mourned upon Sophocles death in 406 B.C.
 They established a shrine called Dexion (The Entertainer) for
him. Members of society paid respect to him annually by
offering sacrifices in his memory.
Greek
Tragedy
 Sophocles,
playwright of Oedipus the King, is
known as one of the most famous tragedians of
all time.
 Greek tragedies are considered the theatrical
works produced mainly in Greece during the
5th century.
 Greek tragedies deal with universal issues and
with contemporary politics/topics (themes
such as war, incest, and murder).
 Often times, tragedies involved the hero
changing between states of fortune &
misfortune. The hero’s flaws and errors were
pointed out followed by the hero’s recognition
of their actions. Ex. Oedipus the King
 Most
tragedies were written as connected
trilogies that carried a similar storyline.
 In ancient Greek times (5th century), tragedies
were intended to be performed in a theatre
before a live audience.
 Tragedies were produced and performed during
the religious festival in honor of the god
Dionysus (god of fertility). The playwrights
competed against one another for first prize.
A Greek tragedy is structures as follows:
(each genre has a different structure)
I. Prologue: Spoken by one or two characters
before the chorus appears. The

prologue usually gives the background
information needed to understand the events of
the play.
II. Parodos: the song sung by the chorus as it
makes its entrance
III. Episodes/Scenes: the main action of the
play
IV. Odes: a song (and often dance) that
reflects on the events of the episodes, and
weaves the plot into a cohesive whole
A. Choragos: the leader of the chorus who
often interacts with the characters in the
scenes
B. Chorus: the singers/dancers who remark on
the action; react as the playwright hopes the
audience will
1. strophe: the movement of the chorus
from right to left across the stage
2. antistrophe: the reaction to the
strophe, which moves across the stage
from left to right.
The chorus was made
up of amateur actors.
 In Oedipus Rex, the
chorus acts like a
character as well as a
group of citizens.
 They are used to set
the mood and heighten
the dramatic effects.
The chorus adds
movement, song, &
dance.

 They
usually entered just after the opening of
the play and remained on stage until the end.
 During their part, they periodically stopped
moving to allow the audience to consider what
they are saying.

The chorus usually wore similar masks to unify
them as a “group,” but actors wore them to
distinguish between various characters. Since all
Greek actors were men, it was necessary to wear
masks in order to portray female characters.
 Since
there were only three parts, masks
allowed for more characters to be portrayed.
 Each character had a different mask, so the
three actors had to be highly skilled
individuals to portray each role
appropriately.
 All performers were men, however, anyone
could attend theatre productions.
V. Exodos: sung by the chorus as it makes its
final exit, which usually offers words of
wisdom related to the actions and outcome
of the play
his
dramatic work
portrayed misery and
tragedy
he also became a
distinguished public
official
produced
123 plays
(only seven survive
today)
the age of Sophocles in
Greece was a time when
anything seemed
possible through human
effort and reason
toward
the end of
Sophocles’ life, Athens
raged a war against
Sparta, their bitter
rivals
there also was a great
plague in 430 B. C.
Sophocles’ surviving
plays (written after
440 B.C.) are deeply
troubling
These plays depict
characters caught up in
unsolvable dilemmas
that test their faith in
divine and human
justice
Greek
Theatre

1. The need to imitate
 Fun
to pretend to be someone or
something else
 As a means of communication - to
demonstrate a situation/storytelling
through words and actions

2. The need to worship the gods in order to please
them
•In Greece, plays were presented out of doors
on a flat place, or orchestra, at the base of a hill.
•At first, they just used open space, no walls or ceiling
(little scenery or set). The orchestra was usually
circular.
•The orchestra was the main performing place for
actors.
•The auditorium, or theatron, was the hillside itself
where the audience stood and watched plays. Seats
were gradually added; eventually permanent sets were
constructed of stone.
 An
alter to the god Dionysus (son of Zeus, god of
wine & revelry), called the themele, was always
located in the middle of each site.
 Later, in the 5th century B.C., a skene building,
or scene house was added.


Provided a place where the actors might dress & wait
before going on stage
Eventually, they used it to add background & scenery to the
stage, as well as a prop
 Attending
plays was considered a civic
duty.
 The price of a ticket was two obols, which
was equal to the wages an unskilled man
might earn for a day's work.
 There was a special fund that citizens
could apply for to receive money if they
could not afford the ticket on their own.
 Tragedy
Tragedies treat serious subjects and often
focus on the tragic hero’s character.
Tragedies usually end with death.
 Chorus:

The chorus was composed of similarly costumed
men on the dancing floor ("orchestra"), located
beneath the stage. The chorus was in the
orchestra for the duration of the performance to
observe and comment on the action of the
actors. Dialogue consisted of long, formal
speeches in verse
 Tragedy
3 actors: Sophocles influenced the
development of the drama, most importantly
by adding a third actor, thereby reducing the
importance of the chorus in the presentation
of the plot
 Masks:
Masks were also made for members of
the chorus, who help the audience know
what a character is thinking. Although there
are twelve members of the chorus, they all
wear the same mask because they are
considered to be representing one character.
 Many
say drama originated in Greece over 2,500
years ago as a way to pay tribute to Dionysis
 Theatres built into the side of a hill
 Most could seat almost 17,000 people.


Plays are divided into
acts and scenes.
Scripts feature lists of
characters and stage
directions which require
the reader to pause and
visualize the set up
 Chorus
= a group of singers that
comments on the play, often from the
point of view of public opinion of the
actions taking place
 Prologue = an introductory scene that
tells the audience important information
about the play’s setting, characters, and
events immediately preceding the
opening of the drama.
 Episode (episodos)= a passage of
dialogue between two or more actors or
between actors and chorus
 Choral
ode = the chorus is alone on
stage, singing
 Éxodos
= the final scene of the play
 Epilogue
= after the main characters
leave, this is where the chorus comes
back on stage to sum up the play’s
meaning
 Monologue
– an extended speech by one
character.
 Soliloquy – an extended speech by one
character, alone on stage. Soliloquies are used
to express the private thoughts of one
character.
 Aside – a character’s direct address to the
audience, which is not heard by the other
characters.
 Situational
Irony: Where an event happens where
you expected the opposite.
 Dramatic Irony-Playwrights use dramatic irony when
they allow the audience to know more than the
characters do.
 Monologues,
soliloquies, and asides
are dramatic
techniques that
provide direct insight
into motives,
attitudes, and overall
tone.
 These techniques
function like a
fictional narrator.
 Symbol:
Something that represents
something else
 Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike
things without using like or as.
 Personification: Giving something nonhuman,
human characteristics
 Allusion: reference in literature to something
else:

Classical: Aspects of Greek or Roman
information
Biblical: The bible
 Historical: Events from history

About Aristotle
His early years
• Aristotle was born in stagria, on
the border of Macedonia in 384
bce
• His mother, Phaestis, was from a
family of doctors
• His father Nichomachus was
court physician to King Amyntus
of macedonia and this began his
long association with the
macedonia court which
influenced his life greatly
• When he was still a boy his father
died
His schooling
• In 367, at the age of 17 his
guardian,proxenus sent him to
Athens, the intellectual center of
the world, to complete his
education
• He joined the academy and
studied under Plato,attending his
lectures for 20 years
• It was in later years that he began
to lecture on his own account,
especially the subject of rhetoric
• He was known for saying” He
loved the truth more than he
loved Plato and so he had no
mind to remain a mere disciple”
The years after Plato
• Plato died in 347
• Aristotle would have been his
rightful succeeded, however his
divergence from Plato's teachings
made it impossible
• In 347 Aristotle spent the next
four years conducting zoological
investigations on the islands of
assos and lesbos
• He was married twice, his second
wife Herpyllis bore him a son
named,Nichomachus
Back to Athens
• In 343 he was called to
macedonia by King
Philip to tutor the king’s
son- the future
alexander the great
• Seven years later
Aristotle returned to
Athens and founded the
school Lyceum, which
it’s ruins can still be
seen today
His teachings
• Aristotle taught in what later
became known as Peripatetics
meaning to walk about which he
did often as he discoursed
• He is said to be given two type of
lectures one in the morning for a
inner circle of advanced students
and one in the evening for the
general body of lovers of
knowledge
• He taught modern down-to-earth
philosphy,biology, politics, and
the rules of logic
His writings
• Aristotle main works are the prior
analytics (in which he describes
the rules of logic)
• The physics, the animal history,
the rhetoric, the poetics, the
metaphysics, the nicomachean
ethics, and the politics
• Most of his writings are lost.
What remains are his lectures
notes, which were rediscovered
in the first century and scholars
are re-examining the fragments
of his lost works.
Aristotle in exile
• Aristotle connection to Alexander proved a liability in
the end and on Alexander’s death in 323 b.c. the
Athenians went on a rampage against all who
associated with him
• The pro-Macedonian government was overthrown
and he was charged with impiety he fled Athens
• He fled to Chalcis in Euboea where he quoted “the
Athenians sin twice against philosophy referring of
course to the unjust trial and death of Socrates”
Aristotle’s death
• In his first year of his residence at
Chalcis he complained of a
stomach illness and died in 322
BCE
• A popular but again highly
questionable story says he
drowned investigating marine life
however no one knows exactly
what happened
• Aristotle’s philosophy, logic,
science, metaphysics, ethics,
politics, and system of deductive
reasoning have been important
ever since. In the middle ages,
the church used Aristotle to
explain its doctrines
Works cited
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Abbot, Christopher. “Aristotle” online image. Sep 9 2008
http://www.whitworth.edu/academic/Department/core/classics.html.
Gallon's. “Greek philosopher Aristotle”. Online image. October 4 2007. Sep 7 2008
http://www.ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/p/aristole.htm.
Hurtle,Philip. “Aristotle with Plato” online image. March 21 2007. Sept 6 2008
<htttp://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristol.htm>.
Partige, Nancy. “Aristotle school” online image. April 3, 2006. Sept 6 2008
http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/aristotle.html.
Netherlors, David. “Alexander the great” online image. November 17 2007. sep 6
2008 http://www.yahoo.com/photos/netherlorsdavid/23467789/.
Ross, Lisa. “aristotle teachings”online image.flicker. September 13 2007 sep 6 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisaross/1236778/.
Seurouik neiumberbach band “Greek music: Liberian antonya greek hero” free
download music. Sep 6 2008.
http://www.freedownloadmusic.com/greekmusic/seuroikneiumberbach.htm.
Aristotle’s
Poetics, written
at about 335 BCE, is
considered to be the first
systematic critical theory in
the world. For nearly 2,000
years it has inspired the
thoughts of writers,
philosophers and critics.
 Aristotle
identifies tragedy as
the most refined version of
poetry, among the three genres
(Tragedy, Epic, and Comedy)
 Aristotle’s defines many key
literary components such as
mimesis (imitation), muthos
(plot), anagnorisis (discovery),
periperteia (reversal), hamartia
(misjudgment), and catharsis
(purifying or relieving of
emotions).
 Tragedy
... is an imitation of an action that is serious,
complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language
embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the
several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in
the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and
fear effecting the proper catharsis of these emotions.
 Poetics
was not widely influential during it's time, but
during the Age of Enlightenment, Aristotle's views shaped
the concept of tragedy.

Aristotle, Malcolm , and Heath . Poetics. 1st ed. New York: Penguin Group
Incorporated, 1997.

Aristotle, and W. Rhys Roberts . Poetics and Rhetoric. 1st ed. New York: Barnes &
Noble, 2006.

Waggoner, Ben. "Aristotle." 09 June 1996. UCMP Berkeley. 8 Sep 2008
<http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html>.

"Poetics (Aristotle)." Wikipedia. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. September 9
2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetics_(Aristotle)>.

"Poetics: 1780 Edition." Online Image. Wikisource. No date. September 9 2008
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikisource/en/thumb/d/d5/Aristotle_poetics.jpg
35px-Aristotle_poetics.jpg>.

"Tragedy and Comedy Masks." Online Image. civillibertarian.blogspot.com. 2007.
Sep 9 2008
<http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:iV0YLmkqOMTBnM:http://bp0.blogger.co
/_9qHzlJ2hzJ8/RfbKPhkaktI/AAAAAAAAAbk/EytnkW9qXeA/s400/ComedyTragedy.j
g>.
Aristotle on Plot
Types of Plot
Simple
Unified construct of
necessary and
probable actions to
change future
Complex
•peripeteia or reversal
•Anagnorsis or recognition
The best way of presenting
tragic pleasure
Characteristics of Plot
• Unity of Action
– Necessity and probability
• Unity of Time
– Time by action understood by audience
Aristotle’s Definition of Plot
“The change of fortune from good to bad should
come about as a result, not of vice, but some
great error of frailty in character.”
Works Cited
• www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html
• www.english-literature.org/essays/aristotle_poetics.html
• http://www.cartoon-web.com/illus/proverbs/pro16-18.gif
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/isolated-objects/isolatedbackground-objects/5663100-clock.php?id=5663100
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/food-anddrink/baking/5948598-blueberry-pie.php?id=5948598
• http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/arts-and-entertainment/artsabstract/5203110-blue-energy.php?id=5203110
Aristotle’s Tragic Hero
What is a Hero
Aristotle felt that the tragic
hero was neither
completely good nor
completely evil.
This hero will also be able
to provoke our pity and
fear.
Our hero……
This hero also must
have hamartia, which
means a fatal flaw.
The most common
hamartia in Greek
tragedies was pride.
His Character
• Consistent: Our hero
should repeatedly
show the same traits
through out the play.
• Lifelike: He should
also appear as
humanly as possible
so we can relate to
him.
More on character
• Good: The hero would
have to demonstrate
through his speech and
actions that he is morally
sound.
• Appropriate: He would
also have to maintain
society's ideas on social
behaviors (men should be
manly and so forth).
Our Hero’s Stature
• The hero was one of
moral fiber that
behaved nobly.
• This did not
necessarily mean that
the person was a king
or queen but
someone who
behaved as one.
Their Outcome
• Death: Although Aristotle did not fell that the hero
should die (because it would provoke ill feelings in the
viewers), some of the tragic heroes died.
• Lesson: Aristotle felt that the best outcome for the
tragic hero would be to come out of the tragedy haven
realized their error in judgment and gained a life lesson
from it.
Works Cited
• “Aristotle." Defining Tragedy. VCCS Litonline Introduction to
Literature. 06 Sept. 2008
<http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm>.
• Heath, Malcolm, and Malcolm Heath. Poetics. New York: Penguin
Group (USA) Incorporated, 2004. The Internet Classics. 1994-2000.
06 Sept. 2008
<http://classics.mit.edu/aristotle/poetics.2.2.html>.
• "More Terms Defined." EGallery of Tragic Heroes. The Process. 06
Sept. 2008 <http://tttc.org/projects/jzarro2/process2.html>.
• Tartar, Stacy. "Aristotle's Tragic Hero." West Chester University. Fall
2001. West Chester University. 06 Sept. 2008 <http://brainstormservices.com/wcu-lit/tragedy.html>.
Aristotelian Catharsis
Catharsis – κάθαρσις
• Medicine - Purgation,
especially for the digestive
system.
• A purifying or figurative
cleansing of the emotions,
especially pity and fear,
described by Aristotle as an
effect of tragic drama on its
audience.
• A release of emotional
tension, as after an
overwhelming experience,
that restores or refreshes
the spirit.
Ancient κάθαρσις - Lustration
• Ritual cleansing
with water
• Burnt offerings –
purification
through smoke
• Purges individuals
or whole cities of
crimes
Aristotle's Catharsis
• Briefly touched on in Poetics
• Stirring up pity and fear, then dispelling
them is the function of tragedy
• Promised a fuller explanation, but was
probably lost to history with his book on
Comedy.
Jakob Bernays – Uncle of Sigmund Freud
• Classical
interpretation comes
from Bernays
• We build up
undesirable emotions
which are evoked
and released through
tragedy.
• These emotions are
inherently negative.
Another Interpretation…
• Aristotle believed
emotions important for
decision-making and
character (Ethics)
• Example: Too much
fear = cowardly, too
little fear = foolhardy
Catharsis is not, then,
elimination; it is the
reduction of these emotions
from excess to balance.
Cathartic Relief in Literature
• “Agamemnon” ends
with its namesake,
his daughter, and his
wife dead in a series
of murders by one
another.
In Miller's All My Sons,
Joe Keller, the father,
commits suicide to
relieve the burden he
brought on his family.
The Shakespeare's
couple, Romeo and
Juliet, lay dead in the
end of their play.