Exam Technique
1 (a) Briefly describe the events in the play leading up to this passage.
1 (a) Write ten things ‐ details (factual)
1 (a)It could be three events with three details for each
1(b) Analyse Aeschylus' use of dramatic techniques; dramatic irony
1(b) Analyse Sophocles' use of dramatic techniques; dramatic irony
1(b) Analyse Euripides' use of dramatic techniques; dramatic irony
1 (c) How is character portrayed in this passage? How consistent is this
with his/her portrayal elsewhere in the play? B Compare two characters
consider the roles of the two characters; ; include an analysis of the themes of the play
support your answer with evidence from text
B Consider the contribution of minor characters
consider the contribution ofminor characters to the plot; include an analysis of the dramatic effectiveness of the play; support your answer with evidence from Euripides’ play
B consider relationships
consider how family relationships are portrayed in the plays you have studied; i nclude an analysis of the extent to which these relationships are normal;
support your answer with evidence from at least two of the following plays: Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’ Antigone, Euripides’ Medea and Electra.
Content:
literary context: the theatre building and machinery
literary context: use of actors
literary context: use of the chorus
literary context: other dramatic conventions, such as the structure of the plays, messenger speeches and deus ex machina
literary context: attitudes towards the portrayal of violence and death
literary context: characterisation including the role of minor characters
literary context: language
literary context: dramatic irony
literary context: the nature of tragedy
literary context: hamartia
literary context: peripeteia
literary context: katharsis
literary context: the style and approach of Aeschylus and his contribution to the development of Greek tragedy
literary context: the style and approach of Sophocles and his contribution to the development of Greek tragedy
literary context: the style and approach of Euripides and his contribution to the development of Greek tragedy
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed dramatic festivals
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed the role of the gods and fate in the world
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed oracles,omens and prophesies
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed moral concepts such as justice and revenge
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed death and buriel Green
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AS Greek Tragedy PLC
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed the stories of the heroes and ideas of honour and reputation
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed the role of men in the life of the city
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed the position of women in society
social and cultural context: how 5th Century Athenians viewed the importance of children and the Use aselection of other Greek terms:
Anagnorisis*Often the protagonists in tragedy undergo a process of recognition, in which they see their own nature, and destiny, more clearly than before.
Bathos and pathos*
They sound related, but their effect is almost opposite.
Bathos‐‐"depth"‐‐is often unintended by the author. Straining for an elevated or heightened effect, the writer overshoots the mark and produces an effect that is perceived as ridiculous.
Pathos‐‐"pity"‐‐a term often used because the English word tends to imply mere tear‐ jerking for effect.
Peripeteia ‐ turning point
Catharsis*Exactly what Aristotle meant by "purgation" or "catharsis" has been the subject of much discussion, but in essence he was concerned to explain the release of powerful, healing emotions that make tragedy so moving.
Chorus*n Greek tragedy the chorus was a group of actors, usually concerned citizens, who were the main commentators on the characters and events; they expressed traditional moral, religious, and social attitudes, and were a kind of voice for the audience on stage. Empathy‐‐"feeling‐into"‐‐is a projection of oneself into another character; an identification in which one seems to participate in the actions and feelings of the other.
Sympathy‐‐"feeling‐with"‐‐is a little more detached, a fellow‐feeling for the other; as when two strings are tuned to the same note, one will vibrate in sympathy if the other is sounded. The word has become somewhat reduced in meaning in recent years to something more like mere pity.
Hamartia*The protagonist most often contributes to his or her own downfall by a mismatch betwen character and circumstances, or hamartia. Interestingly enough, the translation of hamartia as "flaw" may in fact itself be flawed. There is some evidence that suggests that it rather means any quality in excess‐‐perhaps even a virtue‐‐that brings about the fall of the protagonist.
Hubris*Frequently an Oedipus, an Antigone, a Macbeth, a Lear, or a Cleopatra is brought to doom by excessive pride‐‐hubris‐‐a belief that he or she is somehow above the fates, or in control of destiny.
Nuntius*The nuntius, or messenger, was an actor who narrated action that occurred offstage‐‐a dramatic convention made necessary by the requirements of the "unities" of time and place, and the tradition that no violent action took place on the stage itself.
Aristotle then determined that Tragedy consists of six parts, which Aristotle enumerates in order of importance, beginning with the most essential and ending with the least:
character (ethos)
It is much better if a tragical accident happens to a hero because of a mistake he makes (hamartia) instead of things that might happen anyway. That is because the audience is more likely to be "moved" by it. A hero may have made it knowingly (in Medea) or unknowingly (Oedipus). A hero may leave a deed undone (due to timely discovery, knowledge present at the point of doing deed). Character is the moral or ethical character in tragic play. In a perfect tragedy, the character will support the plot, which means personal motivations will somehow connect parts of the cause‐and‐
effect chain of actions producing pity and fear.
Main character should be
good—Aristotle explains that audiences do not like, for example, villains "making fortune from misery" in the end. It might happen though, and might make the play interesting. Nevertheless, the moral is at stake here and morals are important to make people happy (people can, for example, see tragedy because they want to release their anger)
appropriate—if a character is supposed to be wise, it is unlikely he is young (supposing wisdom is gained with age)
consistent—if a person is a soldier, he is unlikely to be scared of blood (if this soldier is scared of blood it must be explained and play some role in the story to avoid confusing the audience); it is also "good" if a character doesn't change opinion "that much" if the play is not "driven" by who characters are, but by what they do (audience is confused in case of unexpected shifts in behaviour [and its reasons and morals] of characters)
"consistently inconsistent"—if a character always behaves foolishly it is strange if he suddenly becomes smart. In this case it would be good to explain such change, otherwise the audience may be confused If character changes opinion a lot it should be clear he is a character who has this trait not
plot (mythos)
Refers to the "structure of incidents" (actions). Key elements of the plot are reversals, recognition, and suffering. The best plot should be "complex" (i.e. involve a change of fortune). It should imitate actions arousing fear and pity. Thus it should proceed from good fortune to bad and involve a high degree of suffering for the protagonist, usually involving physical harm or death.
Actions should be logical and follow naturally from actions that precede them. They will be more satisfying to the audience if they come about by surprise or seeming coincidence and are only afterward seen as plausible, even necessary.
When a character is unfortunate by reversal(s) of fortune (peripeteia known today in pop culture as a plot twist), at first he suffers (pathos) and then he can realize (anagnorisis) the cause of his misery or a way to be released from the misery.