Medea/Greek Tragedy Review

Study basic vocab on Greek tragedies and basics of Medea.

Tragedy

A type of drama or literature that shows the **downfall or destruction of a character** with **once noble** characteristics

Greek tragedy did not require?

A change in scene.

\*\*There were **no acts or shifts** of scene.

How does time pass?

In an **unnatural** fashion, unlike the 24-hour period of Aristotelian tragedy.

Tragic Hero

A character born of noble status who embodies a tragic flaw and is **destined to suffer.**

Tragic Flaw

Disastrous weakness that is so intense it **brings about the downfall** of the character.

Hamartia

(“missing the mark”)— mistake, flaw, failure, sin.

Hubris

**Excessive** self- pride or confidence.

\*\*Crucial to this definition is the Ancient Greek’s concepts of honor and shame.

Catharsis

Greek word meaning “cleansing” or “purification.”

\*\*Necessary for moral order to be restored.

Anti-Hero

Main character in a story who may **lack conventional heroic qualities** and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality

Prologue

**Introduction,** a dialogue which informed the audience of the circumstances of the play.

Parados

A song sung by the Chorus as it **first** enters the theater. 

Stassima

Chorus sings this **between** dialogue.

In media res

Latin for “in the middle of things”; literary technique where narrative starts in the middle. \*\*Characters, settings, and conflicts are often introduced in a series of **flashbacks** or through characters **relating past events** to each other.

Episode

An incident in a course of events. (There are no acts or scenes in Ancient Greek plays. This is the method **used to break down a play** as in our modern “acts”.

Exodus

The **end of the play.** 

\*\*The final scene or departure.

Monologue

A lengthy speech by a single person.

\*\*person → audience

Soliloquy

Lengthy speech by a person who is **talking to himself or herself.**

\*\*often used as a device in drama to disclose a character's innermost thoughts

\*\*person → self

Chorus/Chorodia

Function was to chant (marching) an entrance song called a **parados** as they entered. The Chorus leader engaged in  dialogue with the characters and the entire Chorus sang and danced at certain times.

\*\***The Chorus** of *Medea* is composed of the **women** of Corinth. They poetically deliver much of the exposition and expounds on theme (admire and fear Medea)

Deus ex Machina

“God out of the machine”

An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.

Rhetoric

**Rhetoric (n) -** the art of speaking or writing effectively

\*\*Aristotle: “the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.”

\*\*examples: ethos, pathos, logos

Ethos (character, word ethics made from it)

Appeal credible to listen to, be unbiased, and intelligent.

• When:

  • Describes first-hand experience

  • Knows someone who has experienced the topic

  • Is able to cite experts

  • Sounds well-informed

  • Knows the latest facts and information

  • Is able to predict new approaches, ways of thinking, or trends

• (the appeal of the author’s character or ethics)

  • Authority/Credibility/Trustworthiness/

  • Likeable/Respectable

Pathos (suffering/experience, word empathy made from it)

Appeal to audiences’ emotions, make them feel how you want them to feel.

• Used when:

  • meaningful language, emotion evoking examples, stories of emotional events, and implied meanings.

• (the appeal of evoking audience’s emotions)

  • Psychology

  • Emotion/Feeling

  • Denotation versus connotation

Logos (word, logic made from it)

Convincing through logic and reason.

• How:

  • Use advanced or theoretical language

  • Cite facts, statistics, and certain authorities on a subject

  • Use historical and literal analogies

  • Construct logical arguments

• (the appeal to reason)

  • Organization

  • Fact/Statistic/Evidence

Medea’s motivation to kill her kids:

Her excessive pride in herself and her passion to make Jason suffer.

Medea’s tragic flaw:

excessive passion/determination (to the point where she becomes dangerous)

Why is Medea mad?

Jason wants a new wife.

What has Medea sacrificed?

Her home, her country, her father and brother (her old life).

What has Jason given to Medea?

New life in Greece, fame, a family.

Extra thing to think about:

Is Medea a **tragic hero** or an **anti-hero?**