Semester 1 English Final Greek Drama Terms
Greek drama terms! STUDY!
Terms
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- anagnoresis
- this word, also known as "recognition," is the change from ignorance to awareness in the tragic hero; he/she usually recognizes some horrible event/secret and then achieves a revelation about something like human fate, destiny, and/or the will of the gods
- Great Dionysia Festival
- a spring festival in which the main attraction was theater; it included the "exultation of the soul" and "dancing and screaming"
- Dionysus
- the god of human and agricultural fertility who was deemed the patron of song, poetry, and drama; Greek drama began as a religious observance of him; the "Cult of this person" practiced rituals/celebrations for him
- Greek actors
- the first person to use these (who were only male) was Thespis, and then Aeschylus and Sophocles used these as well; men who hadn't hit puberty would be the women in the plays
- Sophocles
- famous Greek author, most known for books in the "Oedipus Trilogy"; considered "the height" of Greek tragedy; his plays have lots of irony, and major themes of his plays include arrogance and the "wisdom of accepting fate"; made the actors the main part of his plays; even though he wrote 123 plays, only seven are still around today
- skene
- this was the "tent"; it was the backdrop for the orchestra (it was scenery); it was a room for changing and hiding props
- tragic hero cycle
- arete, hubris, ate, and sometimes apotheosis
- strophe
- this was the first movement of the chorus in an ode
- Corinth
- ancient city in Greece; Oedipus' home and supposed birthplace; powerful naval force; located approximately 50 miles west of modern Athens, on the Isthmus of Corinth
- parados
- this was the first scene of the play (after the prologue), and it was used to provide important and relevant information regarding the play
- chorus
- this consisted of Athenian men and women; 12-15 singers and dancers who represented "the community"; they normally sang with an orchestra; Sophocles increased the size of this and made it less important than it originally was; very important part of the play; this would narrate and reflect back on the play; gives off a "unified feeling"
- masks
- these were the most essential part of a Greek actor's costume and they were simple, yet personalized to each character
- Thebes
- located northwest of Athens; largest city in the region; named for its mythical founder Cadmus; this is where most of the Oedipus trilogy takes place
- choregos
- wealthy patrons who supervised and financed the plays; one of the public services required of the the wealthy; no control over which writer's play they would finance
- peripeteia
- this word, also known as "reversal," is the reversal of a situation (i.e. from good to bad or bad to good)
- hamartia
- this, also known as a "tragic flaw," is the tragic hero's flaw or mistake that results in his downfall (it's usually hubris)
- pathos
- the quality of a play to evoke pity and fear in an an audience
- catharsis
- the purging of negative emotion in an audience by raising emotions
- apotheosis
- ascension to god-like status (a part of the tragic hero cycle, although this does not always happen)
- arete
- pursuit of excellence (a part of the tragic hero cycle)
- antistrophe
- this was the second movement of the chorus in an ode (it was a response to the strophe)
- prologue
- this was a dialogue spoken by one or some of the characters giving necessary background information about the play
- epilogue
- this was a dialogue spoken by one or some of the characters that was used to bring the play to a close
- hubris
- excessive pride (a part of the tragic hero cycle)
- ate
- ruin/delusion (a part of the tragic hero cycle)
- exodos
- this was the final scene of the play (before the epilogue) that was used to provide words of wisdom related to what happened in the play and what the outcome was
- tragic hero
- this person is basically a good person (not a villain or a hero) who has some tragic flaw (harmartia) that results in his downfall
- dramatic irony
- this is a contrasting relationship between a character's understanding of his/her situation and what the audience actually understands that character's situation to be; in short, the audience knows something that the character doesn't; Sophocles used lots of this; an effective technique in Oedipus that is used to add to the suspense
- Thespis
- known as the "inventor of tragedy"; in modern times actors are sometimes referred to as this-person's-name-ians; created the independent actor and dialogue; was a poet, playwright, and chorus leader himself; first person to create an acting troupe
- Oracle of Delphi
- most important shrine in Greece; it was thought to be the center of the universe; it was a shrine to Apollo, the god of prophecy, music, poetry, light, and dance; plays an important role in the Oedipus trilogy; the oracle, who Apollo's spirit was thought to inhabit, would usually answer questions in riddles or in very cryptic ways
- orchestra
- this was the "dancing space"; it was the performing area (circular shaped) and it was surrounded by the theater and in front of the skene; there was an altar to Dionysus at the center