English 10

1. English 10 Day 31

2. SOPHOCLES • Tragedy • ANTIGONE • Greek Theater

3. What is tragedy? • Video Take notes!!!

4. Who is Sophocles? • Born in 496 BC- Lived to be 90. • From Colonus-was born into a wealthy family. • One of three great Greek tragic playwrights. • Wrote during the “Golden Age.”-wrote over 100 plays. Only seven remain • Realistic and grim • 123 Dramas • Added 3rd characters- Before this, all dramas were played with only two characters • Entered his plays into contests- awarded first place 20 times and second place all others. • Scene painting. Skilled in music. Take notes!

5. Greek Theatre • Tragedies were produced as part of a religious festival every year in Athens. • Awards were given to the playwright who presented the best series of three dramas. • Plays were performed in vast outdoor amphitheaters that could seat 40,000 • All actors were men. They wore masks with built-in megaphones so they could be heard. Actors’ movements were bold and definite. • The stage was a slightly raised platform. • Violent action took place offstage; messengers told the audience what had happened.

6. Greek Theatre (c0n.) • The Chorus—a group of actors who moved and sang together—acted as one character and spoke in unison during the Choral Odes, which separated the scenes of drama. • Greek theater incorporated unities of time, place, and action, which meant that there were no scene changes, and no complicated subplots; the plays took place in one day and in one place and focused on once event. • The audience knew the story ahead of time. The emotion of the characters is what they came to see. THE “GREATEST THEATRE”--EPIDAURUS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CVO9Vd067U

7. Background: Antigone • Prezi • Video Take notes!!