Oedipus the King and Greek Tragedy

I. Historical Background

A. Rarity of drama in world history

B. Religious dances of 6^th century BC

1. Chorus and choragos

2. Topics from history and legend

C. Innovations in late 6^th, early 5^th

1. Thespis adds interactions with an actor

2. The theater building

D. Flourishing of tragic drama in the 5^th century

1. Aeschylus, esp. Oresteia

2. Sophocles

3. Euripides

E. Romans adopt Greek drama, then degrade it

F. Medieval Christianity: very little till late Middle Ages

G. 16^th century rediscovers Greek drama, adapts it

1. Tragedies and comedies

2. Opera

II. Structure

A. From each playwright, 3 tragedies and a comedy, often with same theme or characters

B. Each play alternates “odes” and “episodes”

C. Plot structure: we’ll study this with Aristotle next week

III. Common Themes, Insights, Attitudes

A. Our problems with the divine order

1. Oedipus and his parents’ futile efforts to avert moral catastrophe (Sophoclean irony)

2. In the Oresteia, conflicting moral demands (lead to Athenian democracy)

3. In Euripides’ The Bacchae, punishment for being sober

4. In all this: squarely facing up to the ambiguity and contradictions in moral life (Example: Oedipus’ strengths and weakness are sides of same coin.)

B. The problem of hubris (Oedipus’ hotheadedness, Creon in Antigone, compare Homer)

C. The polis and the chorus