HUMA250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Shakespearean Tragedy, Metatheatre, Fourth Wall
HUMA250 Lecture Notes Wednesday 6th September 2017
Ancient Greek Tragedy
Aristotle – the defection of tragedy
- Tragedy is the representation (mimesis) of a serious and complete set of events
(praxis),having a certain size, with embellished language used distinctly in the
various parts of the play, the representation being accomplished by people
performing and not by narration, and through pity and fear achieving the katharis of
such emotions. (in Storey and Allen 2014. p. 79)
Central aspects of Greek Tragedy
- Poetry rather than prose
- Performance rather than narration
- A self contained pattern of events usually with characters and themes from
traditional myths
- Intended to arouse an emotional and aesthetic reaction from the audience
- Is not realistic drama – theatre of the mind
- doigs happe offstage (urders, suiides, rescues, accidents, debates
- fixed setting and rarely changed
- does not have mobility of a Shakespearean tragedy
- props and stage effects are rare
- Choral songs composed and performed in artificial dialect
- Formal and different – ornately decorated robes were unlike what they usually wore
- Some performers were a distinctive soft boot, able to be worn on either foot
- It was a stereotypical feature of tragedy
- Masks ere or to play do the ators persoa ad heighte the role o stage
- Contained a contract between audience and actors to suspend disbelief (metaxis) -
the drama does not call attention to itself as Greek comedy often does through
what we know as metatheatre. (Although some debate exists that some Greek
dramas do this
- Medea aoues I ill kill y hildre –it is argued Euripides is announcing a
ajor plot hage, the death of the hildre at Medeas hads ad the audiee
immediately knows what is to come.
o Kind of breaks the fourth wall
The Tragic Plot Line
- No simple formula for plot line – some plays depict a tight sequence of events that
end with a tragic event
- Death and devastation form the climax of the play, leaving us with overwhelming
loss and sorrow
- Some plays contain variations of this, the catastrophe does not come at the end but
earlier
- Some plot lines have averted disaster – this is the exception
Character in Tragedy
- Aristotle argued that actions and plot were essential to tragedy – without plot there
is no tragedy
- Characters are
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A self contained pattern of events usually with characters and themes from traditional myths. Intended to arouse an emotional and aesthetic reaction from the audience. Is not realistic drama theatre of the mind (cid:858)doi(cid:374)gs(cid:859) happe(cid:374) offstage ((cid:373)urders, sui(cid:272)ides, rescues, accidents, debates fixed setting and rarely changed. Does not have mobility of a shakespearean tragedy. Choral songs composed and performed in artificial dialect. Formal and different ornately decorated robes were unlike what they usually wore. Some performers were a distinctive soft boot, able to be worn on either foot. Masks (cid:449)ere (cid:449)or(cid:374) to play do(cid:449)(cid:374) the a(cid:272)tor(cid:859)s perso(cid:374)a a(cid:374)d heighte(cid:374) the role o(cid:374) stage. Contained a contract between audience and actors to suspend disbelief (metaxis) - It was a stereotypical feature of tragedy the drama does not call attention to itself as greek comedy often does through what we know as metatheatre. (although some debate exists that some greek dramas do this.
