Lecture Antigone

1. LectureAntigone Take notes as you would in any college level class… quickly

2. Social and Political—Athens 5th Century BCE • Sophocles—born Athens 497 BCE • Best known of the ancient Greek playwrights • Exclusionary democracy—ten percent of population eligible to participate. Women, slaves, and other “non-citizens” excluded. • Sophocles included attempts in his plays to warn of the divine retribution that would come as a result of prejudices and injustice to the poor.

3. Religious Ideas • Greek pantheon= hundreds of deities in a complex hierarchy Familiar Olympian gods a small part of the overall scheme • Gods were not all powerful in the sense of our modern concept of God. They had laws and traditions also. Among these were • Laws governing the treatment of blood relations

4. Religious ideas continued • Conflict in Antigone stems from “unnatural” occurrence of two brothers waging war against one another and killing one another • Further compounded by blood relation refusing to grant proper burial rites • Must obey the older, stronger divine law instead of human law

5. Religious ideas continued • Believed in free will—would have to face consequences of actions and decisions • Free will not more powerful than destiny • Antigone’s life and death clearly shaped by the curses visited upon her father and grandfather, destiny cannot be completely dismissed either.

6. Origins of Greek Drama • Sixth Century BCE—Thespis The word thespian means actor • Fifth Century BCE—Tragedies performed in annual competition as a part of the Great Dionysia—Athens’ chief religious festival that honors Dionysus. • Sophocles’ Theban plays, Oedipus Rex,Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone are not episodes in a serial.

7. Origins continued • Aeschylus (524-456 BCE) introduced concept of second actor on stage, interacting with the first. Worked on more complicated plots • Sophocles (496-406 BCE) brought a third actor on stage.

8. Conventions of the Greek Theater • Use of dramatic irony • Audience familiar with stories taken from well known myths, they always had more information than the characters on stage • Daytime with minimal sets • Actors all male • Plays observed three unities described by Aristotle

9. Conventions continued • Unity of time – all action of the play took place within 24 hour, in continuous time; dialogue and the Chorus provided background information • Unity of place—all of the action limited to a single setting • Unity of subject—one single main plot focused on the main character. No sub plots

10. Conventions continued • No violence shown on stage • A Chorus used to present exposition and provide commentary • 15-20 men represented the citizens • Always on stage—frequently sang and danced • Always had a leader (choragus) • Carried on dialogue with main characters • Carried on dialogue with rest of chorus

11. Conventions continued • Functions of the chorus • Set the tone • Give background information • Recall past events • Interpret and summarize events • Ask questions • Give advice, if asked • Stay objective • Act like a jury of elders

12. Conventions continued • Chorus performed stylized back and forth movement • Strophe– first part, moves left to right, or east to west across the stage • Antistrophe– follows strophe, moves right to left or west to east across the stage • Epode—third part..completes the movement • Kommos—character on stage engages in dialogue with the chorus—also in a song called a kommos

13. Conventions continued • Tragedy—focuses on peripetia (reversal of fortune) and downfall of the tragic hero and the events leading to that downfall. • Antigone—title character has no peripetia, but is weighed down with family curse, deaths of brothers, and out of favor with King Creon. • Cartharsis—audience feels purged and drained of emotions—better able to understand life

14. Conventions continued • Tragic condition result of tragic hero’s hamartia (error in judgment or perception, hero’s inability to see his flaw and consequences of actions). • Hubris—associated with hamartia, exaggerated self pride or self confidence which results in fatal retribution Ex. King Creon (trust me on this…you will read all about it)

15. Aristotelian Tragic Hero • Forms the basis of literary thought and criticism for thousands of years—affecting even how Shakespeare and Arthur Miller would be read. • Summary follows of Basic Ideas of the Tragic Hero • Character of noble status, greatness of character, usually a man, has wealth, status and power • Not perfect but occupies an elevated status in society

16. Aristotelian Tragic Hero • Downfall partially own fault—result of free will. Downfall triggered by hamartia and often involves hubris. • Misfortune not wholly deserved. Punishment exceeds the crime. • Hero’s fall not a complete loss—increase in awareness, gain in self-knowledge • Remember Greek tragedy was part of community celebration and religious ritual.