Tuesday, November 29, 2011.

1) SSR and log

2) Read Sophocles and His Theater background to Greek play Antigone.

3) Take notes:

1. Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 450 B.C. It is the third play of a trilogy dealing with the tragedy of the Ill-Fated House of Thebes.

1) Oedipus the King
2) Oedipus at Colonus
3) Antigone

Greek plays were performed on a flat, circular area called the "orchestra."
The wall behind the orchestra for the actors to enter and exit is called the "skene."
The theater resembled a modern-day stadium.
The seats were built into the hillsides, which were used as a natural seating area.
To aid the viewing, the actors wore shoes with raised platforms and well-padded costumes. They also wore large masks with exaggerated features.

The chorus consisted of fifteen men, whose leader was the choragus.

The function of the chorus:

a) Took part in the action of the play, representing the city elders.
b) Reacted to the play as citizens might
c) Commented on the play and interpreted it for the audience in a series of chanted poems or odes.
d) Announced the entrance of certain actors.

A tragic play needs a tragic hero. Characteristics of the tragic hero:
a) Has high social standing
b) Has a tragic flaw
c) Realizes his flaw only after it is too late.