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Sophocles and Greek Drama. The Golden Age of Greece. The Greek drama originated during the 5 th century, also known as the Golden Age of Greece. The Greeks laid the foundation of Western civilization and modeled ideal educational and government systems.
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The Golden Age of Greece • The Greek drama originated during the 5th century, also known as the Golden Age of Greece. • The Greeks laid the foundation of Western civilization and modeled ideal educational and government systems. • The Greek ideal of education was based on the idea of integrating all branches of learning. • Science, philosophy, and art sprang from Greek ideas.
The Golden Age embodied two traits that are still found in present day western culture: individualfreedom a passion for excellence
The Golden Age of Greek Drama • Dramas were presented at religious festivals twice a year, in celebration of Dionysus (the god of wine and fertility). • The popularity of Greek drama was due to the fact that all educated Greeks were thoroughly familiar with classical writers. (dramatic irony) • Citizens gathered to watch dramatic competitions between playwrights. • There were only two genres of drama: comedy and tragedy.
Plays were performed during the day in an outdoor theater with seats built and carved into the hillsides.
All actors were male and they played multiple roles, so a mask was used to show the change of character or mood. • Choruses of men were dressed in goatskins to represent satyrs, half-men-half-goat servants of Dionysus.
A chorus—a group of about 15 men—commented on the action. They served as an outside narrator. • The choragus is the LEADER of the chorus and is part of the dialogue.
The chorus sang an opening song called a parodos, which is like an introduction/prologue. • Wealthy citizens had to pay for the expenses of costume design and training the chorus. This was a public and religious duty. • Attending the festival performance was regarded as an act of worship (i.e. like going to church).
Famous Greek Dramatists • Playwrights competed in three contests—one for tragedy, one for comedy, and one in the dithyramb (a song performed by a chorus of 50 singers). • Dramas often told heroic tales of myth and legend. • Myths: traditional stories with supernatural beings or events. Ex: Heracules • Legends: stories that are handed down from the past and believed to be based on true events. Ex. Robin Hood
Playwrights wrote dramas that embodied Greek culture, philosophical ideas, and the spirit of their generation. • Aeschylus, the first dramatist, wrote mostly tragedies about men and the gods. • Euripides wrote tragedies of men, focusing on the human spirit. • Aristophanes was known for his comedies.
The Life of Sophocles • Sophocles wrote Antigone, a tragedy based on the Oedipus Myth. • He wrote about 120 plays, but only seven survived. • Sophocles acted in his plays as well as wrote them. 496 B.C. -- 406 B.C.
He lived, studied, and worked in Athens—a true Athenian citizen. • As a teenager, he was very active, participating in sports, like wrestling, and enriching his education with arts and music. • As an adult, Sophocles served for many years as an ordained priest of Alcon and Asclepius, the god of medicine. • He also served on the Board of Generals, a committee that administered civil and military affairs in Athens.
He was director of the Treasury, controlling the funds of the association of states known as the Delian Confederacy. • Sophocles had a strong passion for excellence —he won twenty-four “1st place” prizes for his plays. • He beat Aeschylus in a dramatic competition, breaking Aeschylus’ thirty year streak as a winner. • He also competed against Euripides and Aristophanes.
He invented the “third actor.” Popular plays during his time only had two actors on stage. Adding a third actor was a big development. • Unlike Aeshuylus, Sophocles did not want to use the “trilogic” form of plays. • Sophocles wanted to finish his plays in one sitting. He took a long time to write dramas. • He stopped acting because he had a weak voice.
The Oedipus Myth • Sophocles wrote the Theban plays, three tragedies about the royal family of Thebes. • The Theban plays are Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. • Because the audience was well read in literature, they could watch the plays without having seen the other dramas.
