CC 303/352: Lecture Outline, September 25, 2001

I.. Introduction to Greek tragedy

• 3 great tragedians: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, 5th cent. BC in Athens
• origins of modern theater, but vastly different from today
• the event: the Festival of Dionysus every March

1. religious
2. civic
3. artistic
4. competitive

• the Theater of Dionysus

1. outdoors
2. big (seats about 17,000)
3. parts: orchestra, skene, cavea, parodoi
4. 3 actors and chorus of 24 men
5. accompanied by aulos=tibia
6. all male performers
7. masks

• the structure of a tragedy

1. prologue
2. parodos
3. episodes alternating with stasima (strophe, antistrophe, epode)
4. epilogue

• some recurring elements

1. messenger speeches
2. agon
3. long speeches and stichomythia

II. Euripides' Hippolytus

• The play in performance
• The chain of events: human and divine causation
• Euripides and the nature of the gods

III. Test I

• MAKE SURE TO BRING A BLUE BOOK
• Guidelines and practice test
• Questions?

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