Oedipus Rex

1
Oedipus Rex

• Swollen Foot King
• Hmmsounds interesting!

2
Drama Terms to Know

• Monologue-a long speech monopolizing conversation
• Soliloquy-a dramatic monologue meant to represent
  thoughts
• Act-a division of a play which may consist of one
  or more scenes

3
Tragedy v. Comedy

• Tragedy-a serious drama describing a conflict
  btwn. the protagonist and a superior force has a
  sorrowful or disastrous conclusion
• Comedy-Less serious drama has a successful
  conclusion after a struggle purpose is to amuse

4
Drama terms to know. . .

• Stage Direction-authors cues in parentheses
  designed to aid character movements/emotions
• Antagonist-person/force in conflict with main
  character in a tragedy-brings out the flaw
• Protagonist-main character

5
Drama Terms

• Prologue-provides background info. to the story
• In Media Res-In the middle of the sequence of
  events
• Dramatic Irony-when the audience understands
  something a character does not

6
Greek Stuff to Know

• The word drama comes from the Greek word Dran,
  meaning to do or to act
• Greek theater developed as part of the religious
  festival to honor the Greek god Dionysusgod of
  food and wine

7
Dramatic Roles

• Greeks werent fans of violence on stage, and so
  adopted the role of the messengerreported what
  was going on in other placesespecially violence
• The chorus-gives info. and tells the reaction of
  the city

8
Limitations to Greek Theatre

• BIG audiencescouldnt see actors. Therefore,
  actors wore large masks and robes to show
  emotion.
• No girls-Masks and robes showed gender
• No curtains
• No lighting
• No violence on stage
• No intermission
• Chorus always on stage

9
Oedipus background

• Sophocles is the author, but the myth of Oedipus
  was told for ages.
• Setting Thebes
• Oedipus solved the riddle of the SphinxCan you??

10
The Tragic Hero/Tragedy

• Tragic Hero-A character, usually of high birth,
  neither totally good nor totally evil, whose
  downfall is brought about by some weakness or
  error in judgment
• Harmatia-a tragic flaw, weakness of character or
  error in judgment that causes fall of hero
• Hubris-arrogance or pride which causes the heros
  transgression against gods usually the tragic
  flaw

11
Tragic Hero/Tragedy

• Anagnorisis-recognition of truth/discovery of
  hero change from ignorance to knowledge
• Peripeteia-reversal of fortune
• Nemesis-Greek goddess of retribution
• Catharsis-A purge of emotions that leaves the
  viewer relieved and elated

12
The Fall

• A HERO -gt WITH a TRAGIC FLAW
• STRUGGLES (against society, fate, selfthrough a
  series of wrong choices)
• LEADS TO
• 1. Reversal-the fall (Peripeteia)
• 2. Suffering-mental and/or physical
• 3. Recognition-knows what he/she did wrong
  (Anagnorisis)
• And thendeath, destruction, waste of hero