CLAS 1P91 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Irony, Satyr Play, Theban Cycle
26 Oct 2016
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Aeschylus: (525-455 bc) 7 of 90 plays. Sophocles: 495-405 bc: 7 of c. 120 plays. Greatest of 5th c. , added 3rd actor. Plays steeped in human emotions & big themes. Euripides: (480-406 bc) 18 of 92 plays. More shocking, often focused psychological motivations of characters. Won first place in 18 dionysia festivals-each time w. 4 plays- 3 tragedies & 1 satyr play. Wrote oedipus rex and antigone = theban cycle of plays (including oedipus at. An actor in a royal costume enters: lines 1-8. My children, i am here, famous oedipus line 8. Audience learns play will be about oedipus & set in thebes- familiar topic. Many mythical stories about thebes (enemy of athens) Bronze age site; but 5th c. thebes an enemy. Thebes allied with sparta & is an oligarchy. Stories about the dysfunctional & cursed royal family there were popular at athens. Back story: saved thebes from the monstrous sphinx when he solved its riddle.
