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Great video, really clarified how everybody connects.

Backstory:

She is the oldest daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. They had 4 children

Her name in Greek means 'one who is of the opposite opinion' (anti = opposite, gnomi = opinion).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jjHBeOGPYHv9IZyrit5vX8lHg5ilKs9MRMC2J1y6WZQ/edit

Summary of the curse

A curse plagues the family of Laius, King of Thebes. This started when an oracle prophesied his son would kill him. Oedipus was unknowingly abandoned as a baby and lived to be king in another city before leaving in fear of the prophecy. He however fulfills the prophecy by slaying Laius and later marrying his biological mother, Jocasta. This revelation triggers a wave of misfortune: Thebs faces a plague wher crops die, and people become sick overnight, Jocasta (wife/mother) commits suicide after finding out, Oedipus purposely blinds himself. Finally a war between Oedipus' sons over the throne begins as oedipus quietly dies on holy land.

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Sophocles along with Aeschylus and Euripides was one of classical Athens's three great tragic playwrights.

He wrote over 120 plays, sadly only 7 survived, the others only have titles or fragments

the 7 complete are: Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus.

In the theatre world he also increased the number of speaking actors, increased the number of chorus members, and used painted scenery.

In his later years, he was the general (strategos) Imperial Treasurer of Athens

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Looks into

not allowed to bury their brother (believed to be a traiter)

Ismene (rule follower, caring), afraid to go against the state

Antigone (bold, self defined) , wants to bury her brother, even if that means her death

Extract ends with a disagreement between the two, over if this should go public

We learn

women had little power and faced harsher consequences

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The Chorus is a group of actors who described and commented upon the main action of a play with song, dance, and recitation.

Story looked at the battle of Thebes

Looked at the style of Battle and the 7 gates of Thebes

How the gods(Zeus, Dionysus and Ares) influenced the battle

celebration and offerings at dionysia.

Critique Creons choice of calling a meeting

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A large festival in ancient Athens (typically in March) in honor of the god Dionysus

Contained theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies

Birthplace of dramatic tragedies and comedies, with playwrights like Sophocles and Aristophanes

Fun fact: There were also musical competitions, with dithyrambs (choral hymns)

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God of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

Roman name: Bacchus

Son of the supreme god Zeus and Semele, the daughter of a king.

Bridged the gap between humans and gods

He drew men and women out of themselves through intoxication. This may have allowed him to influenced decisions during the war.

Represents a paradox, symbolozised by wine in life.

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This extract highlights

Creon's law, on only burying one brother

His plan to show every action of the state(him) to the public

Scare people into not breaking the law, as it only meant death

Chorus is involved, obeying the King, like its master, asking how they can help and what they can do

Ends with the entrance of a worn out soldier.

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A large festival in ancient Athens (typically in March) in honor of the god Dionysus

Contained theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies

Birthplace of dramatic tragedies and comedies, with playwrights like Sophocles and Aristophanes

Fun fact: There were also musical competitions, with dithyrambs (choral hymns)

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God of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

Roman name: Bacchus

Son of the supreme god Zeus and Semele, the daughter of a king.

Bridged the gap between humans and gods

He drew men and women out of themselves through intoxication. This may have allowed him to influenced decisions during the war.

Represents a paradox, symbolozised by wine in life.

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Very beautiful interpretive dance.

article, looks at how the festival was set up

Introduction let by the 10 tribes

Following days showcased the best works of directors

Prizes, were awarded on the last day

The festival was also an opportunity for a meeting of the Athenian legislative body.

Myths concerned with gods, heroes, and rituals embodied the worldview of Greek religion and remains its legacy

They varied over time by altering a myth by changing not only the role played by the gods in it but also the evaluation of the gods’ actions.

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How did C5th Athenian culture REVOLUTIONIZE theater or plays? (Be sure to include the aspects of enactment, actors, chorus and masks)

Athenians aded actors and invented the idea of performance

Stories did not only exist in the mind, they could also be shown to large numbers of stage.

Narrators were no longer needed, as actors could directly do the movement's, without further explanting needed.

Ancient greek drama had no more than three or for actors along with the chorus.

All the performers were masks, to create a powerful illusion.

With acting, there were scary elements, as one would have to become there character,(god, slave, crying mother)

The chorus is also masked in an identical way and move and speak as a group.

According to the end of the clip, what were the hallmarks of ancient Greek tragedies? (The last minute talks about this).

Hallmarks included elements like masks and costumes.

Everybody wore a mask, to create this illusion of another person, so they did not face this challenge of changing who they were

Costumes, especially for the chorus, allowed them to fit a character and work as one

Final note:

Three kinds of theatre

Tragedy and comedy and satr plays

Ancient tragedy, did not end sad, instead it gave the audience tough and concerting question like in the King of Oedipus.

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We learn about a solider who knows the body has been buried.

Creon then blames the soldier and threatens to kill him unless the true culprit is brought to him.

The solider talks a lot and jokes a lot

Assumes it had to be a man.

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EXTRACT 5 (Ode & The Criminal Found) pp17-21 

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HUBRIS: Pride, Outrage, Crime, Excessive Attitude, Negative, Too Powerful, Arrogant, Too Confident.

Nemesis was the Greek goddess of vengeance.

Creon shows HUBRIS:

He is outraged at the soldier and then after hearing the story his outrage shift to Antigone.

Antigone shows HUBRIS:

Too confident because she shows an excessive attitude towards Creon and is prideful/too confident in her stance.

Soldier shows HUBRIS:

He thinks all is good and he is in the safe now that he has found Antigone breaking the law as a criminal.

King Creon - accuse antigone of hubris, when she buries her brother

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1.What kind of democracy did ancient Athens have?

People were chosen at random using a system like a lottery. Ancient Athens was a direct democracy

2.Which cultural VALUES or principles do you think underpinned this form of democracy?

I think the idea of having people bring issues themselves, rather that picking someone who does not completely align with your views was what underpinned this idea. In addition the idea of randomly choosing, made sure juries were made up of people with different views, who would then need to come up to a consensus.

Aristocratic - ruled by the best

democracy - ruled by the people

3.What was seen as 'civic duty' for an Athenian?

civic duty, was the duty of all citizens to serve the government. This was monitored by strict terms and sortition, so no political parties could form

KEY TERMS: democracy, lottery, sortition, election

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1.What was the process of ostracism and how did it work?

to banish a citizen termporarily by popular vote

It worked my carving the names of politicians, they though trheatedn democracy, once a year onto the ostra

If 6,000 votes were cast, the winning politican was kicked out of office and out of athens

2. Which cultural VALUES or principles do you think underpinned this process?

I think the idea of having a complete democracy set this idea. This allowed for all people to be a part of the election. It is similar in the voting we see today or the singing of petition to get something done.

3. What do you think could be the danger of one person getting too 'high' up in power?

This is seen with Creon, who has control and represents the state. He chooses all the laws. Even if he thinks what he is doing is for the people, it could really be for him.

KEY TERMS: un-election, ostraca, ostracism

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Hubris - excessive pride, personality trait used to get things done.

Overreaching especially in the public eye, not only leads to letting down of yourself, but also of your community

When personal gain is stretched to far at the expense of the community, hubris starts

hubris was also used to describe a group of men, accosting girls lecherously

Also used to describe excessive lust

King Creon - accuse antigone of hubris, when she buries her brother

Overall, definition of hubris is personal success and self indulgence in contrast to self control and morality

Hubris is not defined, it is taken for granted, that everyone knows what it means (common usage)

Nemesis- the goddess of devine vengeance and retribution,

Also known as the inescapable.

She humbled you, bring you back down to earth in a way.

(Pun- get it Gods are above, you thinking your better as a mortal... haha)

Ancient greeks also believed in balance, not to much uck or bad luck

Tyche, Nemesis twin, if you did everything right but got bad luck, she would fix that.

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Many rivers

The Styx.

● The Acheron.

● The Cocytus.

● The Phlegethon.

● The Lethe.

● Charon - This ferry was rowed by Charon, the infernal boatman tasked with taking the souls of the

dead to the Underworld.

● Cerberus - After the boat ride, the souls entered through the gates of the Underworld; the gates

were guarded by the multi (3)headed dog Cerberus, who allowed everyone to enter, but none to leave.

● Tartarus - lowest ‘pit’ of the Underworld; a dark abyss used as a prison to punish ‘bad’ souls.

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Chorus, introduces the idea of Hubris

Very protective of Antigone

Solider catches Antigone burying her brother and brings her to Creon

Creon after a long process, lets the solider go unharmed

Scene ends, with Antigone in front of Creon

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Extract 6 - Justice, the law and RIGHT v WRONG

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Antigone and Ismene are brought in front of Creon

Creon wants to punish both

Antigone try's to say Ismene is innocent

Creon is sexist and afraid to lose power of the state.

Ends with them being brought to jail cells.

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"The cold hands of the dead
Reach out for the living, and no one is spared.
Another generation sheds its blood,"

Refers to the family, Oedipus starting a curse.

Refers to Eteocles and Polynices, who though brothers, fought and killed each other.

"past and future time
He holds in his hand by right,
And that those who climb
In their greatness or wickedness
Beyond the permitted height
He brings to destruction and despair"

Creon, climbing the to the highest point. Any others who reach that height, he removes keeping his power

"When a man commits crimes, and is proud of the action,
A flaming sword hangs over his head:
No future but the grave, and a funeral urn"

Creon

Wrongly imprisoning Ismeme

Is it right to punish anitgone, for burying her brother.

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Heamon - Creon son is introduced

Heamon speaks against Creon, saying what Antigone did was ethical and right.

Creon holds the state power and does not want to share it.

Heamon is accused of being to kind to women.

Ismene is pardoned

Antigone is sentenced to be executed by being placed in a cave

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Wow. This was an unexpected turn in the story. It was a moment filled with tension and sorrow. Part of me wished Creon had some good part to realize he was wrong and should give her another chance But no, off she goes banished to land of the dead though still living. Hearing her pleas, her story, lost in the darkness of the cave, is something unforgettable. The saddest part is everything her family has been through. Her father and mother both died because of terrible reasons. Her brothers killed each other for power. And now she left to die, because she wanted to help others. Poor Isemene is left alone, under the rule of an oppressive man, who plans to hold all the power and look down on those, especially women. Part of me wonders why the people did not fight back more. We know why, not because they are cowards, but because we see the blood stained fear in the eyes. No one dares to go against the King. Heamon was a brave man, yet even his father put fear in him. He tries to be strong, but one knows not to overstep, as with one flick in his hand, his father - the state- can get him banished and killed in a second.

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Antigone is being banished

The chorus takes her side

Antigone is angry, she yells about how corrupt the city is

She accepts her fate and has to continue on.

Creon is brought in.

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The process by which the author reveals information about a character

Indirect - impies a personalty or physical trait, by showing the reader

Direct characterisation - when the author directly tells the reader about the trait.

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Antigone talks about everything she is missing out on

Motherhood

Marriage

Creon tries to put the blame on her, and she choose her fate/not him or the gods.

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Teireisias, a prophet, who is blind is introduced. He tells Creon, of the consequences he is going to face.

Tells Creon to won is mistake and make it right.

Tells him the gods are mad

Antigone is still in the cave

Chorus, asks Creon what he plans on doing

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👩‍🦰 Antigone - The main character of the tragedy

🤴 King Creon - The tragic hero

🤴Haemon - Antigone's betrothed and Creon's young adult son

👧 Ismene - Antigone’s sister, very unlike to her

👨‍🦳 Tiresias - The blind prophet, a brave and honest person

🎶 The Chorus - The embodiment of collective caution

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Character Clash Practice - Guide Antigone and Ismene.docx

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The process of releasing, strong or repressed emotions.

Ancient Greek time it meant, "purification" or "cleansing"

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The spiritual or emotional cleanse that can be achieved through art.

Also known as soul cleansing

Attributed to Aristotle who used the term.

Citizens were expected to attend the performances so that they could get there soul cleansed.

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viewers feel lighter after watching a performance.

Seeing the struggles of the performers and the lessons they learn give the audience a sense of new purpose.

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I think this is relevant concept. It i something I always feel after watching a production. We unconsciously start to resonate with a charter and try to then work towards this goal. Nowadays, this can also be seen in movies especially true stories.

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extract 13 - exit creon group discussion activity

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"Do you understand me? But my mother and father

Are dead. There will be no more brothers,

Never again. My love had to speak

At Polynices’ grave, or nowhere.

And for that terrible crime, my dearest brother,

Creon sentences me to death,

Drags me here, and will shut me away

In a cavern under the mountain, a living death,"

(Sophocles, 39)

This is a quote form extract 10, that was exchanged between Antigone, Creon and Chorus

This is an a-ha moment for me, as it give a complete summary of Antigone's life. She talks about all the deaths in her family and her fate, which put simply is the premises of Antigone

The quote was spoken by her, as she is contemplating parts of her life, especially not being able to be a mother

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The Dionysian helped me understand the roots and the audience of the play. In addition certain references in the extracts are also linked to the festival. In fact the play was preformed at the Dionysia and as therefore dedicated to the god Dionysus.

Background

A large festival in ancient Athens (typically in March) in honor of the god Dionysus

I specifically chose the Dionysia, because it was some of the earliest background that set the stage for the reading of the script of the play.

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To what extent did theatre performances use the Dionysian stage to comment on politics, social norms, or philosophical ideas in Athenian society?

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Athenian democracy allowed open competition between theatre pieces at the Dionysia. This encouraged innovation and potentially critical perspectives.

The chorus in Greek tragedies often served as a voice of reason or public opinion, commenting on the actions of the characters and reflecting Athenian concerns. This is why many times there were multiple voices speaking at the same time.

Playwrights used familiar myths to explore current issues. By commenting on gods and heroes, they indirectly critiqued Athenian politics or social norms, keeping a consensus between people.

Comedies, especially by Aristophanes, directly made fun of Athenian politics, leaders, and social trends. Through intended as humor and exaggeration, they did expose societal flaws and sparked public debate.

Playwrights might use symbolic characters or situations to represent real-world figures or events. This allowed commentary, without directly attacking powerful individuals.

Tragedy also aimed to evoke strong emotions like pity and fear in the audience. Catharsis then could lead to reflection on societal issues present at the time.

The celebratory nature of the Dionysia might have created a space for more open ideas. The audience, in a festive mood, might be more open to harsh commentary.

Despite the commentary, playwrights had limitations, especially with regards to direct attacks on Athenian democracy or specific leaders.

Athenian society allowed women to attend productions, but not act in the plays. However over time playwrights used female characters to critique societal norms surrounding women's roles.

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Excellent source to understand politics and social norms during the Dionysia

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but no flowers grow on it.
Vincent Van Gogh

Theater's western origins are Greek-or, more specifically, Attic. Having been officialized at the end of the 5th century BC under the government of Pisistratus (561-528), In the Greek world, theatrical performances took place since the 6th century BC, in Sicily, but the period of greatest dramatic development was in the 5th century BC, in Attica, when around 536/535 BC. in Athens, theatrical performances had an extraordinary cultural reach and were of great social repercussion, also playing a relevant educational role for the establishment and maintenance of the democratic city. Playwrights' use of myth and its political and religious significance were fundamental to the development of the dramatic arts in Athens, where beginning in 536/535 BC, tragedies, comedies, and satirical drama were annually performed during the festivals dedicated to the god Dionysus: the Dionysia and the Lenaia.

During these festivities, nearly 15,000 people occupied the stands of the Theatre of Dionysus to witness actors perform on stage and to see the Choir sing and dance in the orchestra. Thus, the crowd of citizens took part in the event, which became a great popular celebration, organized by the city not only to entertain, but moreover to generate a collective reflection on humanity and its values, drawing from glorious, mythical narratives of the past. From among these stories, playwrights selected their favorite themes. It wasn't up to them to invent something novel, since the spectator of the Athenian theater was more interested in discovering how the poet would narrate or represent an already well-known story than they were in witnessing something entirely new. On the stage, they saw performances of well-known myths from the Homeric poems, from the scenes painted on ceramic vases, the motifs carved in the marble of the temples, and from stories passed down from parents to their children.

However, not all mythical content interested the playwrights, and they would choose from among the myths the narratives most appropriate to their purpose, especially the most moving scenes that could provoke a reaction by the public and, consequently, promote their "emotional education." GARCÍA GUAL, Carlos. Enigmático Edipo. Mito y Tragedia. Madrid: FCE, 2012. Playwrights chose to stage the tales of illustrious and wealthy aristocrats from the Greek past-for example, the Labdacid and Atreides families-because, as Aristotle observes in Poetics, the tragic effect derives from, on one hand, a feeling of distance, in space and time, between the audience and the hero, and on the other, of approximation and identification with the hero's misfortunes as believable, likely to happen to any of the spectators present in the Theatre of Dionysus.

Triggering unrestrained passions, placed into a state that threatened to break loose at any moment, the theater featured as a pillar of support and regulator of the democratic city in all its complexity: while the community sought to reconcile universal interests with individual well-being, individuals-not always in possession of the same interests as the majority-sought to reduce such complexity to the maximum, restoring social differences. Now, seated in the Theatre of Dionysus, sharing the same space, were common citizens in the stands and the sponsors of the choir in the proedria. At gatherings, during games, and at the theater, these were the seats for citizens who financially sponsored the Choir, thus enjoying the right of presence, which consisted of the permission to sit in the first row during public celebrations, from where they attracted the attention of everyone present at these events. Theatrical performances, especially tragedies, seem to have operated as a strategy, allowing the city's tyrants to win over the sympathy of the people, as these opposing ends of the civic body came together to experience the same ceremony. According to Cusset, "tragic spectacle is the pause of civic life" CUSSET, Christophe. La Tragédie Grecque. Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1997, p. 6., a period in which the city can regenerate itself, temporarily suspending its contradictions.

This article will thus discuss the political, religious, and social aspects of theater in Classical Greece, arguing that the cult of Dionysus, on the occasion of theatrical performances, was the opportune moment for the city to debate freedom of expression, experiencing a suppression of social tensions to which it was normally subjected. Furthermore, I will discuss the presence of political, religious, and social aspects in theater, and the repercussion of these elements in the tragedies represented at the Theater of Dionysus in Athens.
Festivals dedicated to Dionysus
What is known today as Greek theater is, in general, the product of social, political, and religious factors that influenced this experience. Its development particularly took place in the Athenian polis, the model of a democratic institution of 5th century BC. Ancient theater held a multifarious character, consisting not only of theatrical and artistic performances, but also of a wide variety of other activities, including ritualistic events and competitions. CHANIOTIS, Angelos. "Theatre Rituals". In: WILSON, Peter (Ed.). The Greek Theatre and Festivals: Documentary Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 48-66. During religious celebrations dedicated to the gods, various ceremonies were performed, transforming the ancient Greek world into a culture of festival. For the present discussion, we are interested in the festivals in which Dionysus was present as a deity figure.

In Greece, there were festivals throughout the year in honor of the Olympian gods. Here I highlight several ceremonies in honor of Dionysus, which took place between the end of winter and the beginning of spring: the Rural Dionysia, the Lenaia, the Anthesteria, and the City Dionysia. In addition to these ceremonies, simpler celebrations were held during other seasons: for example, the Oschophoria, which took place during the fourth month of the Attic calendar, SIMON, Erika. Pyanepsion (corresponding to the second half of October and the first of November) in mid-autumn. The Oscophoria were celebrated on the same day as the Pyanopsia, the festival of Apollo. The festival was of great religious importance because Apollo and Dionysus, asymmetrical gods, share the same holy day, Apollo having given Dionysus a part of his, the seventh day of Pyanepsion. Festivals of Attica: An Archaeological Commentary. Madison/Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983, p.89. Even more interesting is to note that the two gods shared the same sanctuary in Delphi, with Apollo worshiped in the summer, Dionysus in the winter.

On a chalice-shaped vase from the 4th century BC, Apollo and Dionysus meet in Delphi, holding hands in a gesture of greeting. Apollo, leaving, takes the summer away with him, while Dionysus, arriving, brings forth autumn, in order to prepare for winter, when he will be worshiped. In this movement of arrival and departure, we find foundational characteristics of both gods. On one hand, the diurnal norm, symbolized by the clarity of light, resplendent in Apollo's brilliance, prophesizes human destiny; on the other, the nocturnal norm, expressed by the darkness in which Dionysus and his entourage submerge, the loosening of civilized ties, linked to nighttime and orgiastic cults.

The Oschophoria were celebrated during the grape harvest and wine pressing, thus in gratitude to Dionysus, the provider of bounteous clusters of grapes and a plentiful season. On the occasion of the feast, there was a procession led by two young men, the oskóphoroi, who, dressed as women, carried a vine branch loaded with grapes. Such a ritual was typical of festivals of vegetation deities, which are not immortal. Mortality, linked to singing and dancing, at times happy, others sad, highlights the nature of the god Dionysus as a twice-born deity, who, although he is a god, dies in order to be reborn.

While the Oschophoria commemorated the beginning of the harvest, when the grapes were pressed for wine production, during the Anthesteria, celebrated for three days during the second week of the month Anthesterion, boys and girls who had reached adolescence were crowned with flowers, perhaps to mark the beginning of spring. On the first day, wine barrels were opened and taken to the temple of Dionysus, where they were mixed with water in order to lighten the damage to celebrants. It was a moment of communion and liberation from social bonds, as masters and slaves alike participated in the drinking, and children between 3 and 4 years old were crowned with flowers, receiving their first pitcher of wine. On the second day of the celebrations, drunken participants rambled throughout the city, participating in a public contest (whose prize was a wine bottle) that consisted of drinking all the wine contained in the khóos/khoûs, a kind of vessel for storing liquid. On the third and final day, there was a feast of prepared lunches, the secret celebrations of Dionysus and the preparation of the sacred marriage of the wife of the archon king, or basileus, with Dionysus.

The symbology of the marriage of the fertility god, Dionysus, with the wife of the archon king, representative of Athenian society, is particularly interesting, as it clearly demonstrates the importance of Dionysus' role in the restoration of the city. In this relationship, the god was not a husband, but a lover; he is not a regulator of customs, but merely a liberator of the drive for life of the participants in the festivities, promoting the transgression of social imperatives imposed by the city.

Although the focus of this festival was joy and celebration for a successful harvest, it also held a dark dimension, bringing it closer to the Oschophoria. The presence of the geniuses of death on the second day of the festival, when, according to tradition, they returned to earth to pass through the city, was celebrated without music or poetry. On the last day, the cult of the dead, during which their ghosts returned to the world of the living, "cathartic measures" CASTIAJO, Isabel. O Teatro Grego em Contexto de Representação. Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2012, p.19 were necessary, with all participants joining in a ritualized, general cry, so to rid the city of evil.
Dionysus and the theater
It was during the Great Dionysus festival, the largest and most important celebration in honor of Dionysus, divinity of wine and mystery that theater assumed a prominent role in the celebrations offered to this god. In view of the economic, civil, and artistic power centered in Athens, theatrical performance emerged as a powerful form of poetic communication, in addition to functioning as entertainment and as an extraordinary tool for the emotional education of Greek citizens. Education here was understood as a complex process of being in general. Twice a year, citizens flocked to the theater: in Gamelion (the end of January), during the Lenaia, and in Elaphebolion (the end of March), during the Great Dionysian festival. With unprecedented views, spectators could witness performances that, during Poseideon (December), would be represented in other parts of Attica during performances in the Rural Dionysia.

The performances took place in an open-air theater, built on the southern hill of the Acropolis, in a sacred forest that belonged to Dionysus, close to his sanctuary. "The god-that is, his statue-watched the performance [...] and his priest sat with the magistrates of the city," among them, "the archon responsible for the contest." BILLAULT, Allain. La Littérature Grecque. Paris: Hachette, 2000, p. 50. On the occasion of this festival, religious, political, and civil representatives occupied the same space in the theater; an official decision by Pisistratus.

With theater, the city held a mirror to itself, displaying its many faces: tragic, comic, and satirical alike. Dramatic poets addressed issues pertinent to the city, debating justice, community life, war, and peace. In reality, theatrical themes were not so different from those approached by politics. For instance, in Aristophanes' comedy Lysistrata, the central character gives the Magistrate a lesson on how to manage the city:

MAGISTRATE - How, may I ask, will your rule re-establish order and justice in lands so tormented?

LYSISTRATA - Nothing is easier.

MAGISTRATE - Out with it speedily-what is this plan that you boast you've invented?

LYSISTRATA - If, when yarn we are winding, it chances to tangle, then, as perchance you may know, through the skein, this way and that still the spool we keep passing till it is finally clear all again: so to untangle the war and its errors, ambassadors out on all sides we will send / this way and that, here, there and round about-soon you will find that the war has an end.

MAGISTRATE - So with these trivial tricks of the household, domestic analogies of threads, skeins and spools/You think that you'll solve such a bitter complexity, unwind such political problems, you fools!

LYSISTRATA - Well, first as we wash dirty wool so's to cleanse it, so with a pitiless zeal we will scrub through the whole city for all greasy fellows; burrs too, the parasites, off we will rub. ARISTÓFANES. Lisístrata. Tradução de Ana Maria César Pompeu. São Paulo: Hedra, 2010, vv. 565-73. The English language translation cited is by JLINDSAY, Jack. Lysistrata. London: Franfolico Press: 1926.

The above scene would be unlikely in the daily lives of Athenian women in the 5th century BC. However, the frank use of language in the theater allowed people to question the ban. As Cusset reminds us, "language is used in the performance [...] as in political debate". Op. Cit. p. 7. In this sense, we can underscore the political nature of theater as an effective tool for indicating conflicts present in the city. However, language is not the only common element between the theatrical and political arts. The agora was a space of communion and meeting of the civic body, a site of decision-making through words, as well as the semicircular arena of the Theater of Dionysus, where these discussions came as a relief to spectators of the tragedies that presented debates of themes dear to them. Despite their similarities, the two should not be confused, since theater has an artistic dimension that differentiates it from political action. However, it is possible to imagine the two parties, each in its own jurisdiction, playing, through debate, the role of defender of its point of view.

In Sophocles' SÓFOCLES. VERNANT, Jean-Pierre & VIDALNAQUET, Pierre. Antigone, the debate between Creon and Antigone oscillates in two opposite directions. Antígona. Translated by Maria Helena da Rocha Pereira. Coimbra: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1992. While Creon defends the city's right not to bury a traitor, Antigone argues for the divine right to bury the body of her brother, Polynices. On this frontier, we encounter the domain of tragedy, not only at the limit where human actions intertwine with those of the gods, but also in the imminent risk of representing the "heroic" past as a spectacle that affects the city Mito e Tragédia na Grécia Antiga I e II. Translated by Anna Lia A. de Almeida Prado; Filomena Yoshie Hirata Garcia; Maria da Conceição M. Cavalcante; Bertha Halpem Gurovitz and Hélio Gurovitz. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 1999.

If tragedy consists of an attempt to resolve conflicts, whose violence, as Cusset notes, is "theoretically verbal and does not reach the physical plane", Op. cit., p. 7. it finds in myth the raw material of its plots. Narratives about the birth of the gods and on the destiny of humanity, myth is always in discrepancy with the time of the sacred and the profane. Thus, the universe of tragic theater is situated between myth-a temporal reality that has already passed-and the political actions of the present historical reality. This temporal difference allowed playwrights to approach issues relevant to the present of the polis, dressed in the trappings of the notable heroes of the past.

In tragic conflict, the hero, the king, and the tyrant are still well attached to the heroic and mythical tradition, but the solution of drama escapes them: it is never given by the lone hero and always reflects the triumph of collective values imposed by the new democratic city. VERNANT & VIDAL-NAQUET. Op. cit., p. XXI.

Seeking in the heroic past the model for their tragedies, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides often examine the human soul, which is opened up by the universe of fear in which the tragic hero lives.

In the second act of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, in a section of dialogue between Creon and Oedipus, we see that not even the holder of power is exempt from fear. Defending himself against his brother-in-law's accusations, Creon refutes him:

Not at all. Not if you see things calmly, rationally, as I do. SOPHOCLES. Rei Édipo. Translated by Maria do Céu Zambujo Fialho. Coimbra: INIC, 1986. The English language version cited is FAGLES, Robert. Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. New York: Penguin, 1984.

And, warning him that even the superior man, a city ruler, can be afraid, he asks:

Look at it this way first: who in his right mind would rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace? Particularly if he enjoys the same authority. Ibidem, vv. 584-85.

The tragic poets seem to instruct us that fear helps to preserve the democratic order of a city, for example, these reflections carried out successfully by Menelaus in Sophocles' Ajax, invite the viewer to consider relevant issues of city life given that,

[...] never can the laws be prosperously established in cities where awe is not found; Nor may a camp be providently ruled Without the shield of dread and reverence. SOPHOCLES. Aias. Translated by Flávio Ribeiro de Oliveira. São Paulo: Iluminuras, 2008. The English language version cited is TREVELYAN, R. C. Ajax. London: G. Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1919.

If until now the public had made a moral judgment of Ajax, Menelaus' almost proverbial sentence provides the viewer with a political argument. Besides democracy regulatory fear, tragedy expresses a painful truth: human existence is unstable and transitory, for humanity is subject to the whims and arbitrariness of the gods and of fate. In Prometheus' case, he asks the Oceanides choir to take compassion on his suffering, since evil affects all mortals equally. Therefore, nothing is safe,

For a day can bring all mortal greatness low,

And a day can lift it up.

But the gods love the wise of heart, the froward they abhor. Ibidem, vv. 131-33.

In this instability of fortune, the tragic hero is at the mercy of what may come, yet he must stand firm on his imperative to act. If tragedy strikes at a moment of unease in the spirit of an agitated society-in the context of the birth of law, reason, and human justice, as opposed to the reason and justice of the gods-it is natural that he should ask questions about humanity and our ambiguous nature.

Tragedy will never satisfy the demands of single-mindedness and conviction. It lays bare the dark savagery hidden in the depths of the human soul, just as Dionysus does, as a god who acts in the sphere of death and life, in both storm and calm, in wilderness and tranquility, who keeps his worries at bay. Thus, Dionysius, the archetypal image of indestructible life, KERÉNYI, Karl. Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986. brings forth human savagery, making possible what was previously forbidden. Watching tragedies, the spectator at the Theatre of Dionysus would have been touched by these ambiguous feelings. But such ambiguity also affects the gods, as they are able to perform both good and bad deeds, they are sources of fortune and, consequently, of humanity's misfortunes.

If myth only describes humanity, drama, through tragedy, places human life as a central topic. The three great Greek tragedians do not treat the human subject in the same manner, but humanity is always present in the works of the triad: in Aeschylus, we find "man's civic sense, in Sophocles, his loneliness, and in Euripides, his feelings". ROMILLY, Jacqueline de. La Tragédie Grecque. Paris: Quadrige/Presses Universitaires de France, 1970, p. 54. It seems that the tragic ambiguity is exactly in the inquiry about the condition and of human nature revealed by the tragic debate, which

[...] will address man endowed with free will, but subjected to uncontrollable forces, both endogenous and exogenous. The appeals to wisdom cannot be understood by the hero. The question is how to adapt to these forces that create violence. Translated by the author from the French " [...] va traiter de l'homme doté d'un libre arbitre mais soumis à des forces incontrôlables, tant endogènes qu'on exogènes. Les appels à la sagesse ne peuvent être entendus par le héros. La question va porter sur comment s'accommoder de ces forces créatrices de violence". (PAYA, Farid. De la Lettre à la Scène, la Tragédie Grecque. Saussan: L'Entretemps Éditions, 2000. p. 66-7). Free translation.

Free will, fate, practical wisdom, and violence pave the way for the tragic hero. The decision not to kill his father brings Oedipus to the crossroads where the crime will be perpetrated. "Oedipus' fate is certainly a testament to the fragility of human greatness." GARCÍA GUAL, Carlos. Op.cit. p. 130.

Thus, the wisest and most just of men, through ignorance, contaminates the city, bearing the curse for the most terrible of crimes and pays a high price for crime committed, but, after settling for the violence suffered and having understood who he truly was, he receives the favor of the gods.

The theater, like Dionysus, is the art of contradiction. The theater holds the debate that forces the spectator, an Athenian citizen, to position themselves within civic institutions and to submit to the scrutiny of the gaze of the other. In this sense, the spectator experiences a paradox between the familiar and the enigmatic, whose resolution they will not find in a single and definitive answer, but in the slippage of the signifier, in the ambiguity that simultaneously forces Oedipus to bear the weight of misfortunes and fate, blaming the gods and defending himself against crime: "I acted without knowing, I am innocent before the law". SOPHOCLES. Translated by the author to the Portuguese from: "ce qui vient au monde pour ne rien troubler ne mérite ni égards ni patience" (CHAR, René. Édipo em Colono. Translated by Donaldo Schüler. Porto Alegre: L&PM, 2003. Translator's note: this is my free translation from the Portuguese language version, maintained for clarity in this essay. For comparison, see i.e. STORR, Francis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1956: "I slew without intent/A wretch, but innocent/In the law's eye, I stand, without a stain." Oedipus' words-combined with those of Char: "they who enter the world so as not to disturb it deserves neither respect nor patience" Fureur et mystère. Paris: Gallimard, 1962. p. 195). Free translation. -define and reflect the stature of the hero and the importance of theater in the debate on the contradictions of the city as a social, political, and religious institution.

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This text was originally published in the book reds (museu do louvre pau-brazyl, 2020) and revised in June, 2021.

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society, politics, and religion: theater in classical greece – museu do louvre pau-brazyl

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Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk,

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Another Good Source

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View Fullscreen

by Rian Jasmine Quiban

The play Antigone, by Sophocles, raises the theme of power struggles in the government as it specifically relates to ancient Greek democracy. I wanted to learn more about how the role of theater sparked social change and how drama influenced Athens, which is often described as the West's first democratic state.

My research brought me to the conclusion that the birth of Athenian democracy and Greek tragedy was very much intertwined. When democracy first emerged in Greece, the rise of drama and theater came with it. By the end of the fifth century BCE, over 1000 tragedies had been produced in Athens. A cultural wave had overcome the people, and citizens engaged in the theater just as much as they engaged in politics. Often times, the tragedies performed were allegorical to the current political climate of Athens. In turn, the people would engage in deeper conversations about the state after viewing the plays. In some sense, the theater became a tool for citizens to prepare for democracy.

My research offered me great insights into how Antigone functions as an allegory for the turmoil in Athens. I learned how interconnected politics and the theater were, and I dove into how the struggles present in Greek tragedies can be applied to the struggles seen in our democracy today.

Works Cited

Bakewell, Geoffrey W. "Tragedy as Democratic Education." Administrative Theory & Praxis (Taylor & Francis Ltd), vol. 33, no. 2, June 2011, pp. 258-267. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2753/ATP1084-1806330205.

Chou, Mark. "Democracy in an Age of Tragedy: Democracy, Tragedy and Paradox." Critical Horizons, vol. 11, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 289-313. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1558/crit.v11i2.289.

Chou, Mark. "Postmodern Dramaturgy, Premodern Drama: The Global Resurgence of Greek Tragedy Today." Journal for Cultural Research, vol. 15, no. 2, Apr. 2011, pp. 131-152. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/14797585.2011.574053.

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Where Democracy and Greek Tragedy Collide

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View Fullscreen by Rian Jasmine Quiban The play Antigone, by Sophocles, raises the theme of power struggles in the government as it specifically relates to ancient Greek democracy. I wanted to learn more about how the role of theater sparked social change and how drama influenced Athens, which is often described as the West's first democratic state.

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This is a video by National Geographic comparing modern day entertainment with ancient greek entertainment.

We both used entertainment

Anceint greek used live theatre as entertainment, we however used social media, rather than meeting in person.

Today we spend so much ore time on our phones than taking to real people. Ancient greeks were always talking to others or watching others in theatre productions or sports matches.

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Escapist Entertainment and Civic Engagement

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Learn how ancient Greek theater paved the way for modern-day entertainment.

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Antigone breaking Creon decree in order to give her brother a properly burial resonates with modern struggles between following unjust laws and following your moral compass.

This can be seen in issues like civil rights movements, speaking out against corruption, or defying discriminatory laws targeted towards a minority.

The play makes us question

When should we obey laws, even if they seem wrong?

When is it justified to take a stand, even if it means facing consequences?

Around the world we all grapple with the struggle, as our morals, societies morals and governments law do not always align.

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Antigone hung and killed herself.

Heamon her husband, then stabs himself

Creon realises his mistakes and tries to make things right, but he is too slow.

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Creon's wife EURYDICE kills herself after seeing her son

Creon has lost everything and wants to die.

the scene ends with the Chorus giving some wisdom.