OEDIPUS THE KING

SOPHOCLES

• Born in 496 BC
• Son of a wealthy merchant
• Portrayed as outspoken

SOPHOCLES (FAME)

• Well known Greek writer
• Playwrighter
• Wrote about tragedies and tragic heroes

SOPHOCLES (IMPORTANCE)

• One of the top three tragedy greek writers in history
• His best books are Oedipus King, and Antigone and Colonus

GREEK THEATER

• Theatrical culture that flourished in ancient greece
• A festival that honored the god Dionysus

TYPES OF GREEK THEATRE

• Comedy : made mockery of things
• Tragedy : loss, pride, love, etc.
• Satyr plays : comedy drama

TERMS

• Hamartia : fatal flaw leading to tragic hero downfall
• Catharsis : relief from strong emotions
• Traditions : tragic comic masks, costumes, mocking men in power

STRUCTURE OF TRAGEDIES

• Protagonist would commit some terrible crime, ends up regretting it
• World eventually crumbles around him
• Leads to his downfall

ARCHITECTURAL ASPECTS

• Temples, stadiums
• The house of masks
• Theatre of Dionysus

DIONYSUS

• The god of grape harvest
• Parents are Zeus and Semele
• Patron of arts

APOLLO

• Son of Zeus
• The god of music
• Famous for the oracle at delchi, where people went to divine the future

MAP OF GREECE

ARISTOTLE

• Redifined tragedy in poems
• Philosopher and scientist
• Had a profound influence with his poetics

IMPACT OF GREEK THEATRE

• Is the reason we have theatre today
• Helped develope ideas about plays
• Is the gold standard of today

TRAGIC HERO

• Exemplifies greatness
• Makes a crucial mistake
• Experiences downfall