The History Of Greek Theater

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have a pleasurable
experience. Aristotle, by searching the works of writers of Greek
tragedy, Aeschulus, Euripides and Sophocles (whose Oedipus Rex he
considered the finest of all Greek tragedies), arrived at his
definition of tragedy. This explanation has a profound influence for
more than twenty centuries on those writing tragedies, most
significantly Shakespeare. Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy began with
a description of the effect such a work had on the audience as a
“catharsis” or purging of the emotions. He decided that catharsis was
the purging of two specific emotions, pity and fear. The hero has
made a mistake due to ignorance, not because of wickedness or
corruption. Aristotle used the word “hamartia”, which is the “tragic
flaw” or offense committed in ignorance. For example, Oedipus is
ignorant of his true parentage when he commits his fatal deed.
Oedipus Rex is one of the stories in a three-part myth called
the Thebian cycle. The structure of most all ...

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herald then announced the
poet’s names and the titles of their plays. On this day it was likely
that the image of Dionysus was taken in a procession from his temple
beside the theater to a point near the road he had once taken to reach
Athens from the north, then it was brought back by torch light, amid a
carnival celebration, to the theater itself, where his priest occupied
the central seat of honor during the performances. On the first day of
the festival there were contests between the choruses, five of men and
five of boys. Each chorus consisted of fifty men or boys. On the next
three days, a “tragic tetralogy” (group made up of four pieces, a
trilogy followed by a satyric ...

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