Greek Tragedy Roman Tragedy (Seneca)

Sponsored by the state as celebrations of democracy and religion

attended by some 15,000 spectators (City Dionysia)
Smaller festivals where plays were performed across the empire, but
nothing like the state investment in drama like in Greece; tragedies were
read in Roman schools as part of students' education
Continuous action with intermittent choral odes of varying length
and frequency
Five acts, in between which the chorus speaks
Chorus performs between action and audience (orchestra) Chorus is offstage, only comes on in between acts, there is no orchestra
section for them to be during the action therefore they can only come on
between the action
Chorus of 12-15 Smaller chorus, about 3-6 people
Chorus continuously present as observers and commentators We guess that the chorus exits during the action, comes on between acts
and is separate from the action
Violence offstage Violence happens on stage,
Seneca has graphic violence on stage in his plays
Plot-driven Character driven, we will often see with Seneca a character struggling,
psychologically driven
Character's motivations revealed through dialogue and action Motivations in Seneca are revealed through monologues/soliloquies;
characters talking to themselves (other people may listen but they are not
being spoken to)
Fate and the will of the gods interfere with free will Unable to control what happens -- chaos,
Catharsis: pity & fear There is more judgement than pity or fear
Metaphor is a key virtue of the Greek playwright Metaphor is used masterfully by Seneca, he was very interested in the art
of writing -- crafts beautifully written dialogue
Highly influential in subsequent periods
Seneca was written sort of as propaganda !
Joffrey from GoT is modeled after Nero !
NOTES
!"##$ !"& '()*+ ,"*-#./
!"#$%&'( *#+,#-.#/ 01( 0234 33513 67
Greek Tragedy Roman Tragedy (Seneca)
Sponsored by the state as celebrations of democracy and religion
attended by some 15,000 spectators (City Dionysia)
Smaller festivals where plays were performed across the empire, but
nothing like the state investment in drama like in Greece; tragedies were
read in Roman schools as part of students' education
Continuous action with intermittent choral odes of varying length
and frequency
Five acts, in between which the chorus speaks
Chorus performs between action and audience (orchestra) Chorus is offstage, only comes on in between acts, there is no orchestra
section for them to be during the action therefore they can only come on
between the action
Chorus of 12-15 Smaller chorus, about 3-6 people
Chorus continuously present as observers and commentators We guess that the chorus exits during the action, comes on between acts
and is separate from the action
Violence offstage Violence happens on stage,
Seneca has graphic violence on stage in his plays
Plot-driven Character driven, we will often see with Seneca a character struggling,
psychologically driven
Character's motivations revealed through dialogue and action Motivations in Seneca are revealed through monologues/soliloquies;
characters talking to themselves (other people may listen but they are not
being spoken to)
Fate and the will of the gods interfere with free will Unable to control what happens -- chaos,
Catharsis: pity & fear There is more judgement than pity or fear
Metaphor is a key virtue of the Greek playwright Metaphor is used masterfully by Seneca, he was very interested in the art
of writing -- crafts beautifully written dialogue
Highly influential in subsequent periods
Seneca was written sort of as propaganda !
Joffrey from GoT is modeled after Nero !
NOTES
!"##$ !"& '()*+ ,"*-#./
!"#$%&'( *#+,#-.#/ 01( 0234 33513 67
Greek Tragedy Roman Tragedy (Seneca)
Sponsored by the state as celebrations of democracy and religion
attended by some 15,000 spectators (City Dionysia)
Smaller festivals where plays were performed across the empire, but
nothing like the state investment in drama like in Greece; tragedies were
read in Roman schools as part of students' education
Continuous action with intermittent choral odes of varying length
and frequency
Five acts, in between which the chorus speaks
Chorus performs between action and audience (orchestra) Chorus is offstage, only comes on in between acts, there is no orchestra
section for them to be during the action therefore they can only come on
between the action
Chorus of 12-15 Smaller chorus, about 3-6 people
Chorus continuously present as observers and commentators We guess that the chorus exits during the action, comes on between acts
and is separate from the action
Violence offstage Violence happens on stage,
Seneca has graphic violence on stage in his plays
Plot-driven Character driven, we will often see with Seneca a character struggling,
psychologically driven
Character's motivations revealed through dialogue and action Motivations in Seneca are revealed through monologues/soliloquies;
characters talking to themselves (other people may listen but they are not
being spoken to)
Fate and the will of the gods interfere with free will Unable to control what happens -- chaos,
Catharsis: pity & fear There is more judgement than pity or fear
Metaphor is a key virtue of the Greek playwright Metaphor is used masterfully by Seneca, he was very interested in the art
of writing -- crafts beautifully written dialogue
Highly influential in subsequent periods
Seneca was written sort of as propaganda !
Joffrey from GoT is modeled after Nero !
NOTES
!"##$ !"& '()*+ ,"*-#./
!"#$%&'( *#+,#-.#/ 01( 0234 33513 67
Greek Tragedy Roman Tragedy (Seneca)
Sponsored by the state as celebrations of democracy and religion
attended by some 15,000 spectators (City Dionysia)
Smaller festivals where plays were performed across the empire, but
nothing like the state investment in drama like in Greece; tragedies were
read in Roman schools as part of students' education
Continuous action with intermittent choral odes of varying length
and frequency
Five acts, in between which the chorus speaks
Chorus performs between action and audience (orchestra) Chorus is offstage, only comes on in between acts, there is no orchestra
section for them to be during the action therefore they can only come on
between the action
Chorus of 12-15 Smaller chorus, about 3-6 people
Chorus continuously present as observers and commentators We guess that the chorus exits during the action, comes on between acts
and is separate from the action
Violence offstage Violence happens on stage,
Seneca has graphic violence on stage in his plays
Plot-driven Character driven, we will often see with Seneca a character struggling,
psychologically driven
Character's motivations revealed through dialogue and action Motivations in Seneca are revealed through monologues/soliloquies;
characters talking to themselves (other people may listen but they are not
being spoken to)
Fate and the will of the gods interfere with free will Unable to control what happens -- chaos,
Catharsis: pity & fear There is more judgement than pity or fear
Metaphor is a key virtue of the Greek playwright Metaphor is used masterfully by Seneca, he was very interested in the art
of writing -- crafts beautifully written dialogue
Highly influential in subsequent periods
Seneca was written sort of as propaganda !
Joffrey from GoT is modeled after Nero !
NOTES
!"##$ !"& '()*+ ,"*-#./
!"#$%&'( *#+,#-.#/ 01( 0234 33513 67