Masterpieces of Classic Greek Drama (Greenwood Introduces Literary Masterpieces)

Aeschylus' Oresteia , Sophocles' Oedipus plays, Euripides' Medea and Bacchae , and Aristophanes' Birds and Lysistrata are discussed in this lively and scholarly volume. The author's experience teaching these plays to gifted high school students makes this volume particularly useful. The drama festivals, the adaptations of myth, the relevance of Aristotelian criteria, and the political and cultural background of each play are described fully, and the nature of tragedy and comedy, plot construction, stagecraft, theme, character, imagery and individual odes and speeches are analyzed in depth. The 5th century BC witnessed the flourishing of Athenian culture and was one of the most influential periods in history. The achievements of the Greeks at that time forever shaped our political and legal institutions and provided the foundation for Western civilization. At the same time, the world of the Greeks is distant and exotic to contemporary students. The values and beliefs of the Greeks are best represented in the plays that were crafted at that time, and these works continue to be widely read and studied. This book is a valuable introduction to ancient Greek drama. Designed for high school students, undergraduates, and their teachers, this work describes the origins and physical aspects of ancient Greek theatre, discusses Aristotle's Poetics , and analyzes, in ten separate chapters, ten frequently studied Greek plays: Aeschylus' Oresteia , Sophocles' Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus , Euripides' Medea and Bacchae and Aristophanes' Birds and Lysistrata . For each there is cultural, political and mythological background, plot synopsis, and analysis of overall structure and important scenes, speeches and odes. The Aristophanes chapters explore comic method and all chapters discuss theme and stagecraft in depth. Cover......Page 1 Copyright page......Page 6 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 The Origins of the Drama......Page 15 The Physical Structures......Page 16 Masks......Page 17 Reality and Religion in Greek Drama......Page 18 Names of Structural Divisions......Page 19 Aristotle's Poetics......Page 20 Political Background......Page 21 Playwrights and Others......Page 22 Notes......Page 23 Aeschylus' Life and Reputation......Page 25 A List of Aeschylus' Plays......Page 26 Homer's Emphasis and Aeschylus' Art......Page 27 Dramatis Personae......Page 28 Synopsis......Page 29 The Parodos: 40–257......Page 31 The Second Ode: 681–781......Page 32 Agamemnon......Page 33 Her Various Motives......Page 34 Her Ambiguous Language......Page 35 Sympathy for Clytaemestra......Page 36 Cassandra's Visions......Page 38 Of Law Courts and Voting Urns......Page 39 Of Sleep......Page 40 The Theme of Kingship......Page 41 The Use of the Ekkyklema......Page 42 Notes......Page 43 Lamentation and Libation......Page 45 General Comments......Page 46 Dramatis Personae......Page 47 Synopsis......Page 48 Moral Conscience in Orestes and Electra......Page 51 The Nurse Cilissa......Page 52 Of Snakes and the Dead......Page 53 The Central Kommos......Page 54 Costume and Theme......Page 55 The Display of the Death Robe......Page 56 Notes......Page 57 Aeschylus' Use of Myth in the Eumenides......Page 59 The Political and Social Context......Page 60 Setting......Page 61 Synopsis......Page 62 The Function of the Prologue......Page 65 Athene's Methods of Persuasion......Page 66 Theme in the Oresteia......Page 68 Imagery......Page 71 Of Torches and Brightness......Page 72 The Number of Jurors and the Action of Voting......Page 73 Choreographic Patterns......Page 74 Notes......Page 75 Characteristics of Sophocles' Style......Page 77 A List of Sophocles' Plays......Page 78 Sophocles' Use of Myth in the Antigone......Page 79 The Historical Context of the Antigone......Page 80 General Comments......Page 81 Scene Divisions......Page 82 Synopsis......Page 83 The Function of the Sentry......Page 85 The First Ode: 332–375......Page 86 Antigone......Page 87 Creon......Page 90 Haimon and Creon......Page 92 The Staging of the Prologue......Page 94 Creon's Carrying of the Body of Haimon......Page 95 Notes......Page 96 The Play's Title......Page 97 Law Courts and Litigation......Page 98 General Comments......Page 99 Scene Divisions......Page 101 Synopsis......Page 102 Oedipus' Character......Page 105 The Flaw in the "Tragic Flaw"......Page 106 The Sphinx and the Riddle......Page 107 The Kommos of the Blind Man......Page 108 Theme in the Oedipus Rex......Page 110 Sigmund Freud and Sophocles......Page 111 The Absence of the Ekkyklema......Page 112 Notes......Page 113 The Political and Social Context......Page 115 Rites for the Dead......Page 116 General Comments......Page 117 A Clarification of the Oracles......Page 118 The Significance of the Grove......Page 119 Scene Divisions......Page 120 Synopsis......Page 121 The Significance of the Polyneices Scene......Page 123 Theseus......Page 126 Polyneices......Page 128 Death......Page 129 Theme in the Oedipus at Colonus......Page 130 "Metatheatrics" and the Psychology of the Viewer......Page 131 Of the Geron......Page 133 Notes......Page 134 Characteristics of Euripidean Drama......Page 135 A List of Euripides' Plays......Page 136 Summary of the Medea......Page 137 The Political and Social Context......Page 138 The Religious Context......Page 139 General Comments......Page 140 The Aegeus Scene......Page 141 Scene Divisions......Page 142 Synopsis......Page 143 Medea's Speech to the Corinthian Women: 214–266......Page 145 Medea's Speech after Aegeus' Departure: 764–810......Page 147 Medea's Speech to Her Children: 1019–1080......Page 148 Realism in Secondary Characters......Page 149 Realism in the Messenger......Page 150 Jason's Character......Page 151 Theme in the Medea......Page 152 Gestures of the Right Hand......Page 154 The Cries of the Children......Page 155 Offstage Speech and the Illusion of Reality......Page 156 Notes......Page 157 The Myth of Semele......Page 159 Mythological and Geographical Terms......Page 160 The Historical Context: The Cult of Dionysus......Page 161 The Setting......Page 162 Scene Divisions......Page 163 Synopsis......Page 164 Teiresias' Speech to Pentheus: 265–327......Page 166 The Herdsman's Report to Pentheus: 664–774......Page 167 The Bacchae and the Subconscious......Page 171 Theme in the Bacchae......Page 174 The Chorus of Asian Bacchae......Page 175 Bacchic Costume......Page 176 Notes......Page 177 Aristophanes' Life and Reputation......Page 179 Characteristics of Aristophanes' "Old Comedy"......Page 181 A List of Aristophanes' Plays......Page 182 The Use of Myth in the Birds......Page 183 Athens and the Spirit of Polupragmosune......Page 184 Athenian Bird Jokes......Page 185 Setting......Page 186 Dramatis Personae......Page 187 Action in the Prologue......Page 188 Sources of Humor in the Prologue......Page 189 Parodos: 298–675......Page 190 Sources of Humor in the Argument of the Parodos......Page 191 Action in the First Parabasis......Page 192 Sources of Humor in the First Parabasis......Page 193 Action in the Second Parabasis......Page 194 Sources of Humor in Episode Two: Messengers and Additional Visitors......Page 195 Choral Stanzas: 1470–1493......Page 196 Action in Episode Four: The Delegation......Page 197 Sources of Humor in Episode Four: The Delegation......Page 198 Sources of Humor in the Exodos......Page 199 Nothingness......Page 200 Bird Costumes......Page 201 Notes......Page 202 Sexual Humor in the Lysistrata......Page 203 The Political Context......Page 204 Athene and the Acropolis......Page 205 General Comments......Page 206 Dramatis Personae......Page 207 Scene Divisions......Page 208 Sources of Humor in the Prologue......Page 209 Action in the Parodos......Page 210 Sources of Humor in Episode One: Lysistrata and the Proboulos......Page 211 Action in the Parabasis......Page 213 Sources of Humor in Episode Two: Women on the Acropolis......Page 214 Action in Episode Three: Kinesias and Myrrhine......Page 215 Sources of Humor in Episode Three: Kinesias and Myrrhine......Page 216 Action in Episode Four: Kinesias and the Spartan Herald......Page 217 Action in the Third Choral Song......Page 218 Sources of Humor in Episode Five: The Diallage Scene......Page 219 Action in the Exodos......Page 220 Theme in the Lysistrata......Page 221 Notes......Page 222 Books and Periodicals......Page 223 Videos......Page 224 Index......Page 227 Ancient Greek drama is the foundation of Western civilization. At the same time, the world of the Greeks seems distant and exotic to contemporary students. This introductory guide overviews the historical, political, and cultural background of Greek drama and provides detailed discussions of ten widely studied plays: Agamemnon, The Choephoroi, The Eumenides, Antigone, Odeipus, Odeipus at Colonus, Medea, The Bacchae, The Birds, and Lysistrata. Chapters discuss the playwright's life and dramatic style, the role of myth in the play, the plot of the work, important speeches, and performance issues. Each chapter also provides study questions and directs the reader to further resources Giving an introduction to ancient Greek drama, this book overviews 10 works of ancient Greek drama in their political, historical, and cultural context. It is designed for school students and undergraduates, with chapters including information about the playwright's life and dramatic style, the role of myth in the play, a plot summary, and more. Aeschylus : The Agamemnon (458 B.C.) Aeschylus : The Choephoroi Aeschylus : The Eumenides Sophocles : Antigone (442 B.C.) Sophocles : Oedipus Rex (426 B.C.) Sophocles : Oedipus at Colonus (406 B.C.) Euripides : Medea (431 B.C.) Euripides : Bacchae (406 B.C.) Aristophanes : The birds (414 B.C.) Aristophanes : The Lysistrata (411 B.C.). Designed for school students and undergraduates, this work begins with an overview of the contexts and terminology of Greek drama. It then provides individual chapters on 10 major plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, including information about the playwright's life and dramatic style