ENGLISH 10

Aristotle
 a Greek Philosopher
 was born in 384 B.C. in Stagira in northern Greece
 one of the greatest intellectual figures of Western history.
 made significant and lasting contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to
biology to ethics and aesthetics.

 In Arabic philosophy, he was known as “The First Teacher”; in the West, he was “The Philosopher.”

Drama
 comes from the Greek Word, “dran” which means “to do or act”

 originated in Greece over 2,500 years ago as an outgrowth of the worship of the god Dionysus.
 during Dionysian festivals, a group of 50 citizens of Athens, known as a chorus, would perform hymns of
praise to the god. These were known as dithyrambic poetry.

2 Types of Drama
1. Tragedy
 the oldest known form of drama
 shows the downfall or death of a tragic hero, or main character
 in ancient Greek plays, the hero was a good person brought down by a tragic flaw, or defect in character.
 in a modern plays, the hero can be an normal person destroyed by an evil in society.
 emphasizes human greatness.

2. Comedy
 often shows a conflict between opposite age groups , genders, or personality types.
 typical comedies involve confusion, jokes, and a happy ending.
 stresses human weaknesses.

Aristotle’s Elements Of Drama

1. Plot
 What happens in the play?
 Aristotle asserted: that plot is the “life and soul of the drama.”

 Components of a Plot
Exposition - provides the audience with essential information — who, what, when, where

Inciting Incident - what begins the conflict; the exciting force or challenge
Rising Action or Complication - the period in which the audience’s tension and expectations become
tightly intertwined and involved with the characters and the events they experience
Climax or turning point - the moment of greatest tension
Denouement or resolution - the “untying of the knot,” in which the tension built up during the play is released

2. Characters

 Aristotle: referred to this element as “the agent for the action.”

3. Thought

 sometimes referred to as the “message”

 usually understood as a universal or clear meaning to be comprehended by the audience

 Aristotle called this “dianoia,” or “the process of thought.”

 sometimes the moral of a play

4. Diction

 what we would call a playwrights “style” or the language and vocabulary he/she uses.

 this refers to the words used and their placement in the text of a play.
 often, differences in diction within a play indicate differences in characters.

5. Music

 Aristotle’s definition of music includes all of the audio elements of theatre, not just instrumental or vocal.
--noises made by actors --sound effects
 It may establish mood, it mat characterize, it may suggest ideas or feelings

6. Spectacle

 All the visual elements of production in the movement and spatial relations of characters, the lighting,
setting, costumes and properties

Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

 Oedipus the King” is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles
 first performed in about 429 BCE.

 it follows the story of King Oedipus of Thebes as he discovers that he has

unwittingly killed his own father, Laius, and married his own mother, Jocasta.
Over the centuries, it has come to be regarded by many as the Greek tragedy
par excellence and certainly as the summit of Sophocles’ achievements.
 Famous Playwrights

1. Sophocles (496-406 B.C.E.)

 Sophocles was born c. 496 B.C.E. in Colonus near Athens, Greece.

 Considered “best of the three”

 Won 24 contests at festival

 7 of 120 plays survived
 Oedipus the King “perfect Greek tragedy”
 The Greek playwright Sophocles was responsible for several improvements
in the presentation of drama. His tragedies (plays in which characters suffer
because of their actions and usually die) rank him among the greatest Greek classical
dramatists.

2. Euripides (480-406 B.C.E.)

 Won festival only 4 times

 18 plays survived

 Most unique of the three

 Mainly minor myths or greatly changed major myths

3. Aeschylus (523-456 B.C.E.)

 “The Father for Tragedy”

Oldest plays surviving
7 of 80 plays remaining
Only surviving trilogy Orestia (Agamemmnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides)
Winner of the Festival of Dionysus 13 times