hn9 midterm Flashcards
how did Greeks worship Dionysus?
through dyhtirams
what are dithyrambs?
an ancient Greek hymn sung in honor of dionysus
who introduced dithyrambs to greek tragedy?
Thespis
what two words come from the word tragedy?
goat & song
how would actors show they were changing characters?
changing masks
what was deus ex machina used for?
for someone to descend onto stage
when would deus ex machina be used in a play?
for gods to come down from heaven
how many plays did sophocles write, and how many survived?
7 out of 120 survived
why were plays important for Athenians to watch?
art makes them better people
why was catharsis Important for Athenian society?
purgation between pity and fear
purgation
Purification and cleansing of something
define catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions
in what treatise does Aristotle first record his ideas about tragedy?
the poetics
what is the difference between epics and tragedies?
epics are descriptive (tell) and tragedies are imitative (show)
define tragedy
an immigration of and action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
what are the six parts of tragedy? list them in order of importance
- plot
- character
- thought
- diction
- song
- spectacle
what is the most important part of a tragedy and why?
plot because it is the tragic accident, which makes a character stand out
what makes for the best kind of plot according to Aristotle (what kind of protagonist do we need)?
a mostly noble and illustrious character whose misfortune is brought out by error or frailty
what is hamartia Greek for?
frailty
what does hamartia mean?
“missing the mark”
what is Greek for reversal?
peripeteia
what is Greek for recognition?
anagnorisis
what is reversal?
when something is going well, but there is a change
what is recognition?
when a character recognizes something
scene of suffering
when someone dies
oedipus
king of thebes
the priest
of zeus
creon
oedipus’ brother in law
chorus
the old men of thebes
tiresias
blind prophet
jocasta
wife of Oedipus, sister of Creon, widow of Laius’, former king
where is the messenger from
corinth
sheperd
of Laius’, former king
servant
from inside the house
what was the point of recognition
when Oedipus realizes that he killed his dad, lauis
when was the point of reversal
when Oedipus’ power was taken away after he killed his father; he is no longer a king
what was the scene of suffering
when Oedipus blinds himself
what was the climax
when Oedipus realizes that he killed his dad and married his mom
