Studied by 2 people
Aristotle
b. 384BCE
one of first scientists
studied at plato's place for ~20 years
created Aristotle's Poetics - for tragedy in theatre
not rules but commentary
Greek theatre came before poetics
exposition
introduction to the point of crisis (beginning)
the unities
action - contain only one story (no subplots)
time - within a day
place - no location change
development
development to the point of crisis (middle)
denouement
resolution of the point of crisis (end)
unity of action
a play should have more action that it follows with minimal subplots
unity of time
the action in a play should occur over a period of no more than 24hrs
unity of place
a play should exist in a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place
strophe
a stanza in which the chorus moves in one direction - towards the altar
antistrophe
a stanza in which the chorus counter turns and moves in the opposite direction
epode
chanted - standing still
hero
relatively noble
going from happiness to misery as a result of an error on part of the hero
our pity and fear increases most when family is broken rather than strangers/enemies
consistent
good qualities
realistic - not perfect
anagnorisis
"recognition or discovery" the point where the protagonist
recognises the truth
discovers another character's identity
comes to a self-realisation this sudden action causes an emotional reaction in the audience
hamartia
"the hero's error or frailty"
the hero frequently takes steps leading to a tragedy
brings own downfall through ignorance/ poor judgment
often because of personal pride (hubris) (fatal flaw - mistake/error/miscalculation)
peripeteia
"reversal" - where the opposite of what was planned/hoped for by the protagonist happens
catharsis
purgation/purification - purge your emotions to feel different after
the characteristics of tragedy 1
mimetic (relatable)
the characteristics of tragedy 2
serious
the characteristics of tragedy 3
tells a full story of an appropriate length
the characteristics of tragedy 4
contains rhythm and harmony
the characteristics of tragedy 5
rhythm and harmony occur in diff. combinations in diff. parts of the tragedy
the characteristics of tragedy 6
it's performed rather than narrated
the characteristics of tragedy 7
arouses feelings of pity and fear and then purges these feelings through catharsis
plot
story/action of play
most important
beginning, middle, end
no cliffhanger/loose ends
problem must be huge
universal
character
secondary importance
good
higher status than audience
consistent
not perfect
spectacle
visual elements
lighting
set
props
costume
movement
melody
music
collective sound
sound effects
thought
idea/theme
diction
language
prose v verse
rhythm
rhyme
long v short speeches
enjoyable
slang
styles of staging
proscenium arch
thrust
traverse
in the round
end on/blackbox
promenade
the orchestra
the dancing place where chorus are
once on stay on
chorus entrance/exit
entrance: parados (after prologue)
exit: exodus
the architectural skene
where the main actors enter and exit
stage left: wilderness
stage right: civilised society
centre: women
the auditory
the listening place
where audience sit
amphitheatre
name of Greek Theatre building
15,000 seats
thymele
shrine to god Dionysus
placed in centre of orchestra
Dionysus
Greek god of theatre, wine and celebration
festival lasts 3 days
thespius
first actor
chorus
12 men (Sophocles increased to 15)
choral odes
stasimon
why are the chorus masked
indicate gender, status, amplify voice
homogenous/homogeneity
move as one
leader of chorus
Coryphaeus
3 actors
protagonist
antagonist
tritagonist
protagonist
hero
goes through losing something to a realisation (Creon)
antagonist
villain / anti-hero
(Antigone)
tritagonist
other actors
Eccyclema/Cyclorama
a sheet at the back of the stage used when scenes where too obscene (taken off stage as too horrible to look at) used tapestries
everyman
the chorus should represent everyone to build a bridge/connection between the actors and the audience
represent all; ages, heritages, genders, socioeconomic status
Note 
Flashcard (52)