Greek Tragedy Essay Sample

Describe the development of Grecian calamity from its beginnings in ritual and spiritual vocalizing. Make mention to AT LEAST one scene from the Oresteia trilogy in which the spiritual beliefs of the Ancient Greeks are important to the play

Calamity within Grecian play was a complex contemplation of life within their society and both portrayed and enforced the intricate spiritual and fabulous roots which played an of import portion in the day-to-day lives of every Hellenic.

Grecian play began as spiritual festivals in honor of their many Supreme beings. One such God was the God of birthrate. vino and rapture. named Dionysus. In Athens. four festivals were organized in honor of Dionysus. The festivals would co-inside with the seasons. with the biggest festival being the Great or City Dionysia. It was held when winter was at an terminal and spring was on its manner. The Populous would observe the passing of the winter and welcome in the spring with forfeits. dance and vocalizing in the hope that Dionysus would do the farm land fertile. These vocals and dances. known as a Dithyramb would be performed by a chorus of work forces and male childs who would sing and dance a poetic composing in honor of Dionysus. The wordss of these vocals were frequently inspired by the life of Dionysus and his escapades. There would besides be a blood forfeit of a Goat in honor of his name with a deplorable vocal being sung as portion of the ritual. This ritual and vocal is where the word calamity may deduce from ; ‘Tragos’ significance caprine animal and ‘Ode’ significance anthem or plaint.

As Grecian life became more civilized. these rites and dances grew and started to pull audiences. so much so that specially constructed edifices were created to keep the events. It was at this clip that the dithyramb became more sophisticated as one member of the chorus stepped off from the remainder and started to react to the choral anthem. This was the birth of theater and the beginnings of today’s modern theatrical public presentation. This patterned advance led to dramatists fixing a trilogy of calamities. based on fabulous narratives. to be shown at the festival with histrions being added to the action every bit good as the chorus. Religious rite was still outstanding in these more theatrical jubilations as to open the festival ; there would be a emanation of the statue of Dionysus through the streets of Athens to the theater. making a connexion between something that was considered sacred and the theater.

Aeschylus was one such dramatist of these tragic dramas and his ‘Oresteia Trilogy’ is the lone lasting tragic trilogy. The tragic dramas would cover. ‘with the autumn from power of a figure in high place because of misguided opinion. the tragic defect. ’ ( Chambers. 2002. p. 781 ) Aeschylus was besides the first dramatist to present a 2nd histrion into the action of the drama. making duologue between characters and leting the characters and secret plan to turn through their desires. actions and struggles. There was besides a moral narrative to be gained by the audience in that ‘Human Beings must larn to admit their humanity if they are to bask the fruits of peace and prosperity. ’ ( Wickham. 1992. p. 36 ) Ultimately the Greeks wanted to populate in an ordered life and hence needed to accept duty for their actions in order to populate a successful life.

Within these dramas. the chorus played a large portion of stand foring the thickly settled and keep a sense of ceremonial and ritual. Sacrifice. ritual offerings and ceremonials were cardinal constituents within the dramas as they were an inaugural portion of Grecian life. Within the first book of the Oresteia. the character of Agamemnon battles with a determination to ritually give his girl in order to derive favor with the Goddess Artemis and win the war against Troy. The determination to give his girl finally led to the decease of Agamemnon and a destructive concatenation of events that unfold throughout the remainder of the trilogy. Informing the audience of cardinal constituents to plot development the Elders tell us of Agamemnon’s predicament:

Chorus: ‘If I obey the Goddess. my ain girl
Has to decease
If I deny the goddess. this ground forces
Has to dissolve’ ( Hughes. 2000. p. 14 )

This battle that Agamemnon faces show the audience that Agamemnon’s belief in the Gods and in spiritual forfeit. carry him to kill his girl in order to salvage an full ground forces.

Another illustration of the spiritual beliefs of the Greeks which is shown through play in the Oresteia is taken from the 2nd book ‘Choephori’ . Here Electra is sent by Clytemnestra to pour oil and vino over Agamemnon’s grave to honor the Earth goddess. Gaia. or Great Mother. The chorus is represented by a group of slave adult females and once more they inform the audience of the backstory and supply cardinal information to the secret plan:

Chorus: ‘So the Queen. detested
By the Gods and the dead.
Sent us at first visible radiation
To pour out the oil and vino
Into the earth’s lap –
All to pacify the Great Mother’ ( Hughes. 2000. p. 92 )

This pouring of liquid. besides known as a Libation. is seen as an offering to the Gods and high spots Clytemnestra’s belief in the influence of the Gods in her mundane life. She views the offering as a manner of delighting the Gods in the hope that her expletive would be lifted.

The concluding book of the Oresteia trilogy Tells of opinion and shows the patterned advance throughout the trilogy of a crude state traveling towards a civilized society. This mirrors the development of early Grecian life as the Greeks moved off from antediluvian spiritual and ritualistic ceremonials and utilizing theater as a agency of katharsis and contemplation upon the experiences of the yesteryear. ‘Greek theater was born of the same demand to copy life. to state narratives. and to back up spiritual ceremonial. as has been the instance with all early dramatic art. ’ ( Fraser. 2004. p. 7 )

To reason. Grecian Tragedy arose from the spiritual beliefs of the ancient Greeks. where forfeit and ritual played an of import portion of life. The dramas were a commentary on societal values which enabled the Greeks to larn and germinate. giving the society a certainty and a hereafter.

Mentions

Chambers. C. . 2002. The Continuum comrade to twentieth century theater. New York: Continuum. Pp 781 Wickham. G. . 1992. A History of the Theatre. London: Phaidon Press Limited. Pp 36 Hughes. T. . 2000. Aescylus The Oresteia. New York: Farrar. Straus and Giroux. Pp 14 Hughes. T. . 2000. Aescylus The Oresteia. New York: Farrar. Straus and Giroux. Pp 92 Fraser. N. . 2004. Theatre History Explained. Marlborough: The Crowood Press Ltd. Pp 7

Bibliography
Banks. R. . 1991. Drama and Theatre Arts. Sevenoaks: Hodder & A ; Stoughton. Chambers. C. . 2002. The Continuum comrade to twentieth century theater. New York: Continuum. Database. T. . 2011. The Origins of Tragedy. [ Online ]

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