Greek Tragedy Flashcards
(25 cards)
Define the classics
Golden age of theater; standard for future works
From what did Greek tragedy evolve?
Religious rituals
Tragedy is concerned with?
The pain of human existence
Forces that tragedy pita against the individual?
Fate, gods, chance
Why is the struggle unbalanced? How does the audience respond?
They are uncontrolled circumstances. Catharsis
Why does the audience admire the hero who contributes to his own destruction?
Because of the nobility of the act.
What eternal questions does tragedy pose?
How one can survive the bad circumstances.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy?
Serious in theme, focus on hero, situation goes from good to bad.
Tragic reversal?
Shift in circumstances from good to bad.
When does the tragic reversal have the greatest impact?
When hero falls far
Why does the audience sympathize with the hero?
Catharsis
Tragic fall vs. pathetic fall
No free will = pathetic fall
Tragic flaw?
Hamartia; may be greed, ambition, jealousy, anger, revenge, or arrogance.
How does hero rise in the fall?
Admits to his/her flaw
What is the point when he admits to the flaw?
Moment of recognition
Fate vs. free will
Fighting to change destiny
Blindness vs. sight
Hero blinded by flaw
Ignorance vs. knowledge
Hero ignores knowledge because of flaw
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something the hero does not
Catharsis?
We can relate to the hero, sympathize with him
“Tragedy pays tribute to ideals”
Tragedy tells you what not to do.
Masks
Emotion and expressions
Death and violence
Never done on stage, only described as having taken place
Greek chorus
Leader: Choragus; comment on the act, reveals background info; give theme statement at the end of play
