sophocles and king oedipus

496 B.C.-406 B.C. Greek playwright Wrote tragedies Poet Wrote Theban plays (The Oedipus Cycle) Introduced third actor

Ancient city in Greece Setting for many tragedies, including

Sophocles’

Dionysus was god of wine and fertility Only male actors Playwrights competed against each other in

categories of comedy and tragedy Sophocles competed here

Unity of action- play has one main action it follows

Unity of time- play takes place within 24 hours

Unity of place- play takes place within one physical space, geography is not compressed

Hubris- can mean an exaggerated self-pride; in Ancient Greece Hubris referred to actions taken against a victim to shame and humiliate him, making the aggressor seem superior.

Catharsis- purification or cleansing; a cathartic experience

Hamartia- error in judgment; sin

Blindness vs. sight Self-knowledge Pride Truth Responsibility Fate/destiny vs. choice The Matrix, Stranger Than Fiction, Deja Vu,

any more?

Noble birth Hamartia- Tragic flaw leads to downfall-hero

dies Peripeteia-Reversal of fortune Self-awareness/self-knowledge-moment of

recognition Audience fears and pities character-

punishment does not fit crime Middling character-

Take a few guesses as to what he will do after you have read the introduction to the play.