oedipus and antigone test Flashcards
who created dramas?
the greeks
what did dramas start out as?
just the chorus reciting what happened
who added an actor and when?
thespis added an actor in 534 BC (why actors are called thespians)
why were dramas made?
to honor the greek god dionysus, the god of fertility and wine
what are the basic characteristics of greek dramas?
-addressed well known stories
-characters told what happened
-violence happened off stage
-all actors were male
-wore elaborate masks
-there was the chorus of 15 men
-the gods would often step in and affect things
-it was unrhymed poetry
who was the author of oedipus rex?
-sophocles
-one of the four most well known greek playrights
-he also added a third actor
what are aristotle’s rules of tragedy?
-time should be a 24 hour period
-it would be set in one place
-one hero and one plot
what are some characteristics of the tragic hero?
-not necessarily what we would call “heroic”
-start out dignified, courageous, and high ranking in society
-had a tragic flaw or hammartia that causes their downfall
-reversal of fate happens
-have a moment of recognition
-audience has a release of emotion and contemplate their own flaws
-hubris- arrogance before the gods
where was oedipus rex set?
in thebes
who is oedipus?
-king of thebes
-born in thebes but his parents sent him to be killed and he ended up in corinth
-ran away from home after he heard a prophecy that he would marry his mother and kill his father
-solved a riddle of a sphynx and thats what made him king of thebes
-the tragic hero
who is jocasta?
-oedipus’ mom and wife
-mother to antigone, ismene, polyneices, and eteocles
-gave oedipus up to be killed when he was born because she heard a prophecy that he would kill his father
who is the priest of zeus?
-a messenger fro the people
-asks oedipus to help/ save them
who is creon?
-brother in law of oedipus
-sent to oracle
-eventually becomes king of thebes
-tragic hero in antigone
who is the chorus in oedipus?
-made up of the thebeian councillors
who is teiresias?
-the blind prophet
-prophesies in antigone and oedipus
