Greek Drama Vocabulary Flashcards
(25 cards)
Dionysus
god of wine, agriculture, and fertility; god of theatre
dithyramb
choral lyric to honor Dionysus
Thespis
uses first actor in 534 BC
Dionysus Festival
five days
3 days of play performances
2 days dithyramb preformances
Theatron
horse-shoe shaped seating
Orchestra
circular area for chorus
Thymele
altar ro Dionysus; center of orchestra
Parados
right and left entrance passage
Skene
large backdrop, three doors, props and dressing areas (palace or temple)
Paraskene
acting platform/stage
Eccyclema
Wagon that could be wheeled onstage; used to reveal action that took place off-stage, usually violent
Kranes
cranes that picked up items and put them onstage
Deus ex Machina
“a god from a machine” krane that would lowere a god, usually Zeus, from skene to resolve dilemmas of human character
Tragic Hero
capable of suffering neither good or bad hubris, free will committed to cause protests injustice/fate trasfiguration-becomes a better person tragedy-cause for reflection about life
Harmatia in Tragic Hero
“error of judgment” or tragic flaw
responsible for own fate
Pity in Tragic Hero
his misfortune is greater than diserves
Fear in Tragic Hero
see ourselves, similar possibilites
Prologue
opening scene, background established (exposition), 1 or 2 actors
Parados
entrance of chorus, chanting, dancing
Ode
long, serious, elevated, sung poem
Stasimon
choral ode, end each episode
Exodus
exit after last stasimon
Catharsis
a purging or cleansing of these emotions
Anagnorisis
recognition or discovery; ignorance to knowledge; awareness of his/her own role in downfall; too late, so
