Greek AuthorsWho are they? Try to guess!

Important to remember…

• Historians base our knowledge of Greek tragedy on 31 plays by 3 authors when there were over 1000 plays written by numerous authors

Aeschylus

Aeschylus• 525-456 B.C.• Founder of Greek drama and therefore, founder of all western drama• Plays dealt with noble families and lofty themes• Master of tetralogy• Added 2nd actor• Reduced size of chorus• Won first prize often-13 times while alive-plays produced after death• Author of Agamemnon and The Oresteia-only surviving trilogy• Famous soldier• Wrote 90 plays• Only 7 still exist today

Sophocles

Sophocles

• 496-406 B.C.• Author of Antigone and Oedipus• Wrote over 120 plays, but we only have 7 in their entirety• Died 90 yrs old• Won 1st place 18 times, never finished lower than 2nd

• Civic leader, ambassador and Priest• Superb plot construction• Innovations in scenic painting• Chorus from 12 to 15• Increased number of actors to 3

Euripides

Euripides

• 480-406 B.C.• More modern due to sympathetic portrayal of

women, greater realism, mixture of genres, skeptical of Gods

• Gods fallible and human-Euripides criticized• Reclusive• 92 plays written• Only 5 awards received• Wrote Medea• 18 plays still exist today

Aristophanes

Aristophanes

• 448-380 B.C.• Best known playwright of Golden Age• Comedies reflect social and political climate in

end of 5 century B.C.• Middle class• Bawdy with an open attitude towards sex• 40 plays written• 11 survive• Wrote Lysistrata

Ancient play Critic!

Aristotle

Aristotle

• 384-322 B.C.• Studied with Plato• Tutor to Alexander the Great• Opened own school 335 B.C. in Athens• 170 works covering logic, metaphysics,

psychology, physics, theology, ethics, politics, biology, and literary theory.

• Detailed Observation leading to description and then theory-basis of scientific method

• Wrote The Poetics

The Poetics by Aristotle

• Studied through the Renaissance and by theatre scholars today!

• Analysis of drama

The Poetics-Basic Ideas

• 1. Plot-story-the arrangement of dramatic incidents

• 2. Character- people represented in the play

• 3. Thought-Theme-ideas explored

• 4. Language- dialogue and poetry

• 5. Music

• 6. Spectacle-scenery and visual elements

The Poetics-Definitions

• Katharsis-purge their feelings of pity fear and sorrow, cleanse restoring the soul to harmony

• Hamartia-character flaw• Hubris-flaw of excessive pride• Satyr-parodies of tragedies performed by satyrs-

half-goat, half-man chorus, comic and vulgar, poked fun at Greek institutions (religions and heros)

Greek Playwrights! Who are they?

Aeschylus Aristophanes

Sophocles Euripides

Greek Critic! Who was he?

Aristotle