Classical Greece

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In the end, justice triumphs

Oresteia trilogy about the House of Atria

Agamemnon

The Libation Bearers

The Eumenides (The Furies)

Slide 9

Drama

Sophocles (496-406 BC)

Friend of Pericles

Great prestige and wealth

Wrote 123 plays, but only 7 exist

Sophoclean tragic heroes

Have tragic defects

Are likeable and we feel sorry for them

Introduced two-actor interaction

Conflict:

Tradition and loyalty to king (Antigone)

Good intentions and fate (Oedipus the King)

Slide 10

Drama: Sophocles

Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

Epitome of Greek tragedy

Fate has powerful hold on humans

Before his birth, destined to kill father and marry mother (revealed by oracle)

Conflict between fate and attempts to control destiny

Inherent moral outrage of marrying mother and/or killing father

Slide 11

Drama: Sophocles

Antigone

Thebes attacked by Polynices (son of Oedipus)

Polynices was fighting his brother

Both were killed in battle

Creon, the new king, forbade Polynices’ burial

Antigone, Polynices sister, buried him

Antigone was condemned to death

Creon’s son was engaged to Antigone

Creon revoked his penalty, but only after Antigone and Creon's son had committed suicide

Slide 12

Drama

Euripedes (484-406 BC)

Expressed disillusion because of the war

Acknowledged powers of gods in fate, but did not respect them

Characters pushed to the limits of endurance

Deep hatred for war

Slide 13

Drama: Euripedes

Medea

Barbarian princess (on the coast of the Black Sea)

Helped Jason find the golden fleece against her father's wishes

They married and had two sons

Medea was ostracized for marrying foreigner and had to flee with Jason to Argos (in Greece)

Jason later married a younger woman

Medea sent magic robe to the bride causing the bride to burn to death

In further retribution against Jason, Medea also killed her two sons

Slide 14

Drama

Aristophanes (450-385 BC)

Father of Greek comedy

This genré ends happily

It is not necessarily funny

Theme—futility of war

The Birds

Lysistrata

Poked fun directly at Sophecles and Aeschylus

Creative Project: Play about Aristophanes in the BYU library who meets a young woman who agrees to write a play in which he can demonstrate his superiority to other Greek playwrights