Greek Drama
Definitions of drama
• The physical embodiment of a story
• « the performance in which actors impersonate the actions and speech of fictional
or historical characters on stage for the entertainment of an audience. »
• Fictional representation of human experience, a copy of life
Definitions of tragedy
• Tragedy is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some
amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not
narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these
emotions.’’ (Aristotle, Poetics, Chapter VI)
• Tragedy (Gr. Tragoidia): a play that portrays a serious conflict between human
beings and some superior, overwhelming force. It ends sorrowfully and disastrously,
an outcome that seems inevitable.
• “In a tragedy, nothing is in doubt and everyone’s destiny is known … Tragedy is
restful, and the reason is that hope, that foul, deceitful thing, has no part in it.
There isn’t any hope. You’re trapped. The whole sky has fallen on you, and all you
can do about it is shout.’’ (Jean Anouilh, Preface to Antigone)
Definitions of comedy
• Gr. ‘komos’(revel, merrymaking). associated with fertility rites, worship of
Dyonisus.
• Combination of lyric verse, dance, satire,social comment, fantastic plots,
remarkable characters
• Men of middle fortune,no serious dangers,happy conclusion (Evanthius)
• “Comedy … is a representation of inferior people, not indeed in the full sense of
the word bad, but the laughable is a species of the base or ugly. It consists in some
blunder (embarrassing mistake) or ugliness that does not cause pain or
disaster.” (Aristotle, Poetics)
• Comedy deals in an amusing way with ordinary characters in rather everyday
situations.
Definition of satyr play
• “after-piece” or fourth play at drama festival, comic relief after seriousness
• mythical hero presented as ridiculous character, chorus of satyrs
Comparing Greek tragedy and comedy
• All tragedies are finished by a death, all comedies are ended by a marriage.
• Comedy deals with social follies and aberrations, while tragedy deals with a rebellion
against a profound order or ethic (whether divine or natural.
• Both comedy and tragedy are serious because they both teach.Protagonist moves from
good to bad (tragedy) and from bad to good circumstances (comedy)
• Elevated style (tragedy) Vs Low/common style (comedy)
• Different attitudes towards human failing
• ! in the end we always prove unequal to the challenges we must face (tragedy)
• ! human possibility thanks to common sense/resilience/luck, we can win out in the end
(comedy)
Structural components of drama
• Stage directions: notes incorporated in the text of a play, indicate the moment of a
character’s appearance, character and manner, style of delivery, actor’s movements,
details of location, scenery and effects.
• Dramatis personae: the characters in a play. The names of characters are usually
printed at the beginning of the text.
• Dialogue: a speech exchanged by characters in a play.
• Soliloquy: a speech by a character alone onstage in which s/he utters his/her
thoughts aloud.
• Aside: a speech that a character addresses directly to the audience, unheard by the
other characters on stage.
• Act: structural subdivision of a play
• Scene: structural subdivision of an act
Key concepts of Greek drama
• Chorus: essential part of Greek drama, group of masked male characters who
comment on action, take part in dialogue, singing (Stasimon), lamentation (Kommos).
Take position in the orchestra (place for dancing).
• Prologue : preparatory scene
• Parodos: song for chorus entrance
• Episodes: (acts/scenes)
• Exodos: last concluding scene
Components of Greek tragedy (by Aristotle)
• Unities: unity of time, place and action, formal qualities to provide coherent plot. A
play should depict the causes and effects of a single action unfolding in one day in one
place.
• Tragic hero: protagonist (hero/chief character of a tragedy) as noble in social
rank (king, queen, member of royal family) and personality (high moral
qualities, sensitivity). Must fall from power/happiness,be destroyed because of
a confrontation between the feeling individual and unfeeling larger order.
downfall involves entire nation, he is fallible.
• Plot: causal narrative sequence of events: the way events are selected and
arranged in a relationship of cause/effect and give birth to surprise and
suspense.
