The Greek Tragedy was one of the theatrical (or dramatic) genres most performed during Ancient Greece.
It is considered the oldest theatrical genre, of which the Greek playwrights stand out:Aeschylus (524-456 BC), Sophocles (496-406 BC) and Euripides (480-406 BC).
Theatrical Masks of Tragedy and Comedy
Features:Summary
Greek Tragedy was the first theatrical genre that emerged in Greece. After it comes comedy and tragicomedy, both minor genres, according to the Greeks.
That's because in Tragedy the characters were not ordinary people, as they would appear in comedies.
Furthermore, the juries in tragedy involved people chosen from the aristocracy, while in comedy they were common people, chosen from the audience.
Tragedies were theatrical texts that presented tragic and dramatic stories derived from human passions which would involve noble and heroic characters:gods, demigods and mythological heroes.
All of them had a common characteristic:permanent tension and an unhappy and tragic ending.
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) Tragedy was a major genre capable of transmitting to people the sensations experienced by the characters.
This process, defined by him as “catharsis”, took place with the public who watched the play as a form of purification and/or purging of feelings.
In other words, catharsis represented a release of feelings and emotions provoked by the tragedy.
Learn more about the structure of the Theatrical Text.
Greek Theater
During the period of antiquity, the theater was very important for the development of Greek civilization.
It arises from celebrations made to the God Dionysus, festivities and wine. This dramatization comes from the dithyrambs, that is, from the songs dedicated to the God Dionysus.
These cults to Dionysus were, little by little, being elaborated and taking shape. From there, a new art was born in Athens around 550 BC:the Greek theater.
Playwrights and Greek Tragedies
Below is the triad of the most prominent Greek playwrights and their main works:
Aeschylus
- Prometheus Bound
- The Persians
- Agamemnon
Sophocles
- Oedipus the King
- Antigone
- Electra
Euripides
- Medea
- The Trojans
- The Bacchae
Complement your research by reading the articles :
- Dramatic Genre
- Greek Comedy
- Ancient Greece
Fun fact:Did you know?
From the Greek, the word tragedy (tragoedia ) is composed of the words, “tragos ” (goat) and “oidé ”, (song), and means “song to the goat”.
This explains the relationship with the origin of the term, since during the celebrations held to the God Dionysus, a goat was sacrificed as an offering.
On the other hand, the word tragedy may be related to the costume of satyrs (mythological figure half human and half goat) that some men used during the celebrations.