Antigone Terms To Know
- skene – stagehouse (hut for changing)
- stage - porch front of skene; central character often spoke
- orchestra - dancing place
- thymele - alter
- proscenium –in ancient theater, the stage itself
- parodos - the first ode or choral song in Greek tragedy, chanted as the chorus enters the orchestra
- exodos - the final or exit scene
- Chorus - 15 elders of Thebes
- Choragos - leader of the chorus
- strophe - part of the ode moving from right to left
- antistrophe - left to right
- ode - separated each scene; no curtain; also response to scene
- epode - final stanza of the ode
- paean - choral hymn in praise of a god ( here Dionysos)
- satyr play - comedy of a raucous nature
- tragedy - as defined by Aristotle, a play in which suffering brings about self-knowledge; serious treatment of religious and moral questions.
- catharsis - a cleansing the viewer receives from watching
- tragic flaw -(hamartia) - act, moral flaw or intellectual mistake
- polytheistic - many gods
- anthropomorphism - giving human qualities to the gods
- hubris - setting up of self as superior to all humans, even equal to God (gods); extreme pride; arrogance
- Deus ex machina - crane mounted on skene; used to bring about the appearance of gods. usually a stuffed dummy suspended in air.
- dramatic irony - discrepancy between what the character thinks and what the audience knows.
- oracle - of Apollo at Delphi; one who delivers god's message to man.
- regicide - killing of a king
26. patricide - killing one's own father
Antigone Introduction Questions
Greek Theater - pages 685-687 in Elements of Literature
- How did Greek drama get started?
- Describe the Dionysian celebrations.
- Who was Thespis? What is he famous for?
- What does "thespian" mean and where did the word come from?
- How was drama born?
- What are tragedies? Comedies? (satyr plays)
- Describe the masks that actors wore & explain how they helped the audience to hear.
- Who were the actors?
- Describe the Theater of Dionysus in detail.
- Define a myth and tell the purpose of a myth. (What do they explain?)
Background for Antigone including the Oedipus myth - pages 688-689
- What is the oracle's prediction?
- What do the king and queen do about the prediction?
- Where does Oedipus grow up? Why does he leave?
- What happens between Oedipus and the stranger that he meets while traveling?
- What is the sphinx? How does it menace Thebes?
- What is the riddle?
- What is Oedipus's answer?
- How is he treated in the city? What is he offered?
- What are Oedipus's children's names?
- Why is Creon sent to Delphi?
- What does he find out?
- What do Jocasta and Oedipus do when they find out the truth?
- As acting ruler, Creon decides to do what to Oedipus and his daughter(s)?
- What becomes of Eteocles and Polyneices?
- Why is Polyneices's body left unburied? Why was this thought to be terrible?
Themes of Antigone - page 690
- What is the conflict in Antigone?
- Explain the analogy of W.W. II to Antigone.
Ancient Greek Burial Practices - page 696
- Why did Greeks take such immense care in their rituals honoring the dead?
- Name 3 things they did to prepare the body for burial.
- What is a prothesis?
- Describe how the mourners acted at the prothesis.
- What is the ekphora & when did it take place?
Sophocles Information - page 738
- What was Sophocles known for?
- What happened when Sophocles turned 28?
- What remarkable accomplishment did Sophocles achieve?
- What are Sophocles writings concerned with?
- What were 3 of his technical innovations?
- What was unusual about how the three tragedies about King Oedipus & his family were written?
Tragedy (Tragic Hero)
The following is based on Aristotle's concept of TRAGEDY.
1. The tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He has a greatness about him. He is not an ordinary man, but one of outstanding quality. In Greek and in Shakespearean tragedy, he is usually a prince or king. Regarded as special because of "blood," aristocratic birth, and the hero's kingship can also be a symbol rather than the cause of his greatness. He is great not primarily by virtue of his kingship but by his possession of extraordinary powers, by qualities of passion or aspiration or nobility of mind.
2. Though the tragic hero is preeminently great, he is not perfect. Combined with his strength, there is usually a weakness. Aristotle says that his fall is caused by "some error of judgment" and probably he meant no more than that. Critical tradition, however, has most frequently interpreted this error of judgment as a flaw in character, the so-called tragic flaw. With all his great qualities the tragic hero is usually afflicted with some fault of character such as inordinate ambition, quickness to anger, a tendency to jealousy, or overwhelming pride. This flaw in his character leads to his downfall.
3. The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially his own fault, the result of his own free choice, not the result of pure accident or villainy or some overriding malignant fate. Accident, villainy, or fate may contribute to the downfall but only as cooperating agents; they are not alone responsible. The combination of the hero's greatness and his responsibility for his own downfall is what entitles us to describe his downfall as tragic rather than as merely pathetic.
4. Nevertheless, the hero's misfortune is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the crime. We do not come away from tragedy with the feeling that "He got what he had coming to him" but rather with the sad sense of a waste of human potential. For what most impresses us about the tragic hero is not his weakness but his greatness. He is, in a sense, "larger than life," or, as Aristotle said, "better than ourselves." He reveals to us the dimensions of human possibility. He is a person mainly admirable, and his fall, therefore, fills us with pity and fear.
5. Yet, the tragic fall is not pure loss. Though it may result in the protagonist's death, it involved, before his death, some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge---as Aristotle puts it, some "discovery"--a change from ignorance to knowledge. On the level of plot, the discovery may be merely learning the truth about some fact or situation of which the protagonist was ignorant, but on the level of character it is accompanied or followed by a significant insight, a fuller self-knowledge, increase in wisdom. He exits not cursing his fate but accepting it and acknowledging that it is to some degree just.
6. Though it arouses solemn emotions, pity and fear, says Aristotle, but compassion and awe might be better terms---tragedy, when well performed, does not leave its audience in a state of depression. Though we cannot be sure what Aristotle meant by his term catharsis, some sort of emotional release at the end is a common experience of these who witness great tragedies on the stage. With the fall of the hero and his gain in wisdom or self-knowledge, there is, besides the appalling sense of human waste, a fresh recognition of human greatness, a sense that human life has unrealized potentialities. Though the hero may be defeated, he at least has dared greatly and he gains understanding from his defeat.
Characteristics of a Tragic Hero Summation
A. Character that is neither completely______or bad, but somewhere inthe______. However, he has a Tragic Flaw.
B. They are renowned, prosperous, dignified & courageous... usually a member of a ______family.
C. Hero is on some level______for their own______.
D. Hero recognizes his own ______, gains wisdom, and accepts the tragic ______.
E. Audience experiences a ______because of the tragedy.
TRAGIC HERO / EPIC HERO- Noble in stature/royal
- Man of nobility strong in mind and body
- Not perfect has tragic flaw (harmartia)
- Mortal/can die and has fears
- Downfall partially own fault/due to free choice
- Goes on a quest with allies/followers
- Misfortune not wholly deserved
- Faces foes/obstacles that are extraordinary
- Accepts his fate and gains wisdom
- Helped by the Gods
- Catharsis is experienced
- Remains steadfast/never gives up