Background Notes: Greek Theater, Sophocles, and Oedipus Rex Flashcards
a) Who was Dionysus?
b) What is his importance to Greek theater?
a) son of Zeus, god of wine. His alter was located in the middle of the site.
b) Civil duties of citizens; his alter was in the middle of the theatre
Parts of Greek theater- draw a sketch and label it.
pardos, skene, orchesta, (look at paper)
Sophocles was born in ________ in the ___ century in they year _____ B.C.
Colonus; 5th; 495 B.C.
When was Sophocles first recognized as a playwright?
At age 28 when one of his plays won 1st plays in a competition.
Sophocles established himself as one of the greatest writers of Greek tragedy when he wrote ____ plays, _____ of which won 1st place in the play competition in Athens.
123; 24
Only ___ of Sophocles’ plays survived. 3 of the plays deal with the Oedipus story. List these 3 plays
7; Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles had a huge impact on Greek theater. List and explain each change he made:
- Introduced stage machinery. He was a first to use a crane to lower and take away actors.
- Introduced painted backdrops.
- He added a 3rd actor (there was only 2 before)
- He varied the types of music the chorus sang.
- He added more elaborate costumes including masks.
Greek tragedies deal with __________ issues and with contemporary __________ and topics such as ________, _________, _________, and _________.
universal; politics; war, love, family, and death.
In most tragedies, the hero changed between states of _______ and _______. The hero’s ________ and errors were pointed out followed by the hero’s ___________ of his actions.
fortune and misfortunes; tragic flaw; recognition
List and explain the characteristics of a tragic hero:
- must have a fall from greatness
- be an extraordinary person with a tragic flaw
- experience a moment of realization that he/she has made a big mistake
- has to suffer greatly
List 3 purposes of the Chorus in a Greek play:
- acts like characters, group of citizens
- used to set the mood and heighten dramatic effects
- adds movement, song, and dance
Explain why actors wore elaborates masks.
distinguish characters and to amplify voice
Sophocles was the first to use dramatic irony. Dramatic irony=
An occasion where the audience knows more than the characters in the play.
How does dramatic irony affect the audience.
Makes an audience feel privileged.
a) What was the Oracle of Delphi?
b) What was her warning concerning Oedipus?
c) How did Oedipus’ parents react to this warning?
d) What does Oedipus mean in Greek?
a) A woman priestess who would give truth from the god, Apollo.
b) He would grow up to kill his father and sleep with his mother.
c) They tied and pierced his ankles as a baby so he wouldn’t move. Then they had a servant take him to a mountain top to leave him to die.
d) Swollen foot or ankle
