A reissue of this seminal study which was revolutionary in drawing out the significance of stage action in Greek tragedy at a time when plays were often read purely as texts, rather than understood as performances.Oliver Taplin's seminal ...

Author: Oliver Taplin

Publisher: Psychology Press

ISBN: 041530251X

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 203

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Oliver Taplin's seminal study was revolutionary in drawing out the significance of stage action in Greek tragedy at a time when plays were often read purely as texts, rather than understood as performances. Professor Taplin explores nine plays, including Aeschylus' agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The details of theatrical techniques and stage directions, used by playwrights to highlight key moments, are drawn out and related to the meaning of each play as a whole. With extensive translated quotations, the essential unity of action and speech in Greek tragedy is demonstrated. Now firmly established as a classic text, Greek Tragedy in Action is even more relevant today, when performances of Greek tragedies and plays inspired by them have had such an extraordinary revival around the world.

If something really brief and elementary is wanted there are P.Arnott, Introduction to the Greek Theatre (London, 1959, 1–62), or H.C. Baldry, The Greek Tragic Theatre (London, 1971, 1–73)—though both are somewhat faulty and superficial ...

Author: Oliver Taplin

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781134414932

Category: History

Page: 232

View: 938

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Oliver Taplin's seminal study was revolutionary in drawing out the significance of stage action in Greek tragedy at a time when plays were often read purely as texts, rather than understood as performances. Professor Taplin explores nine plays, including Aeschylus' agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The details of theatrical techniques and stage directions, used by playwrights to highlight key moments, are drawn out and related to the meaning of each play as a whole. With extensive translated quotations, the essential unity of action and speech in Greek tragedy is demonstrated. Now firmly established as a classic text, Greek Tragedy in Action is even more relevant today, when performances of Greek tragedies and plays inspired by them have had such an extraordinary revival around the world.

of the performance of the noh point to features in Greek tragedy that Aristotle himself did not explicitly mention, but that seem to lie ... although not consistently, the number of actors increased to three, and action became primary.

Author: Mae J. Smethurst

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

ISBN: 9780739172421

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 127

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By looking at 15th/16th realistic noh and Greek tragedies through the lens of Aristotle and of each other, this comparison reveals a previously unnoticed relationship between the structure of the tragedies and their performance, that is, the involvement of the third actor at the climactic moments of the plot in both and the actor stepping out of character in noh. This observation helps to account for Aristotle's view that tragedy be limited to three actors.

Practical information on staging and production is also included, as the author has kept in mind the need of modern readers to visualize the drama in order to understand the text.

Author: James C. Hogan

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

ISBN: 0226348431

Category: Drama

Page: 346

View: 746

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"Classical scholar James C. Hogan provides a general introduction to Aeschylean theater and drama, followed by a line-by-line commentary on each of the seven plays. He draws on a vast range of scholarship and criticism to give modern readers the most accurate picture possible of what ancient audiences saw and understood in the spectacle of Greek tragedy. Hogan places Aeschylus in the historical, cultural, and religious context of fifth-century Athens, showing how the action and metaphor of Aeschylean theater can be illuminated by information on Athenian law, athletic contests, relations with neighboring states, beliefs about the underworld, demons, omens, and divination, and countless other details of Hellenic life. He clarifies terms that might puzzle modern readers, such as place names and mythological references, and gives special attention to textual and linguistic issues: controversial questions of interpretation; difficult or significant Greek words; use of style, rhetoric, and commonplaces in Greek poetry; and Aeschylus's place in the poetic tradition of Homer, Hesiod, and the elegiac poets. Practical information on staging and production is also included, as the author has kept in mind the need of modern readers to visualize the drama in order to understand the text. Though little is known about Greek choreography and music, Hogan stresses their central role and provides notes on entrances and exits, the use of extras, costuming, tableaux, masks, the use of a stage, the interaction of chorus and actors, tone, gesture, style of acting, and spectacle."--Back cover

Good starting points are F. Zeitlin, “The Body's Revenge: Dionysus and Tragic Action in Euripides' Hecuba,” in her ... O. Taplin's Greek Tragedy in Action (London, 1978) (which is an extension of his longer and more technical The ...

Author: Simon Goldhill

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

ISBN: 9780226790725

Category: Performing Arts

Page: 208

View: 696

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From the stages of Broadway and London to university campuses, Paris, and the bourgeoning theaters of Africa, Greek tragedy remains constantly in production. This global revival, in addition to delighting audiences, has highlighted both the promise and the pitfalls of staging ancient masterpieces in the modern age. Addressing the issues and challenges these performances pose, renowned classicist Simon Goldhill responds here to the growing demand for a comprehensive guide to staging Greek tragedy today. In crisp and spirited prose, Goldhill explains how Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles conceived their works in performance and then summarizes everything we know about how their tragedies were actually staged. The heart of his book tackles the six major problems facing any company performing these works today: the staging space and concept of the play; the use of the chorus; the actor’s role in an unfamiliar style of performance; the place of politics in tragedy; the question of translation; and the treatment of gods, monsters, and other strange characters of the ancient world. Outlining exactly what makes each of these issues such a pressing difficulty for modern companies, Goldhill provides insightful solutions drawn from his nimble analyses of some of the best recent productions in the United States, Britain, and Continental Europe. One of the few experts on both Greek tragedy and contemporary performance, Goldhill uses his unique background and prodigious literary skill to illuminate brilliantly what makes tragedy at once so exciting and so tricky to get right. The result will inspire and enlighten all directors and performers—not to mention the growing audiences—of ancient Greek theater.

This book deals with the historical context of ancient Greek tragic performances, with the plays themselves, and with later adaptation and re-performance, down to modern times.

Author: P. E. Easterling

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 0521423511

Category: History

Page: 414

View: 253

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This book deals with the historical context of ancient Greek tragic performances, with the plays themselves, and with later adaptation and re-performance, down to modern times.

The volume comprises 31 essays written by an international cohort of scholars. The essays are organized into four sections. The opening section on Contexts surveys Greek tragedy’s historical, religious, political, and artistic background.

Author: Justina Gregory

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 9781405175494

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 578

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The Blackwell Companion to Greek Tragedy provides readers with a fundamental grounding in Greek tragedy, and also introduces them to the various methodologies and the lively critical dialogue that characterize the study of Greek tragedy today. Comprises 31 original essays by an international cast of contributors, including up-and-coming as well as distinguished senior scholars Pays attention to socio-political, textual, and performance aspects of Greek tragedy All ancient Greek is transliterated and translated, and technical terms are explained as they appear Includes suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, and a generous and informative combined bibliography

This book traces the historical development of these dynamics through three representative tragedies that span a 50 year period: Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides' Helen.

Author: Judith Fletcher

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781350144583

Category: Performing Arts

Page: 176

View: 891

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Classical Greek Tragedy offers a comprehensive survey of the development of classical Greek tragedy combined with close readings of exemplary texts. Reconstructing how audiences in fifth-century BCE Athens created meaning from the performance of tragedy at the dramatic festivals sponsored by the city-state and its wealthiest citizens, it considers the context of Athenian political and legal structures, gender ideology, religious beliefs, and other social forces that contributed to spectators' reception of the drama. In doing so it focuses on the relationship between performers and watchers, not only Athenian male citizens, but also women and audiences throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. This book traces the historical development of these dynamics through three representative tragedies that span a 50 year period: Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides' Helen. Topics include the role of the chorus; the tragic hero; recurring mythical characters and subject matter; Aristotelian assessments of the components of tragedy; developments in the architecture of the theater and their impact on the interactions of characters, and the spaces they occupy. Unifying these discussions is the observation that the genre articulates a reality beyond the visible stage action that intersects with the characters' existence in the present moment and resonates with the audience's religious beliefs and collective psychology. Human voices within the performance space articulate powerful forces from an invisible dimension that are activated by oaths, hymns, curses and prayers, and respond in the form of oracles and prophecies, forms of discourse which were profoundly meaningful to those who watched the original productions of tragedy.

Author: Donald J. Mastronarde

Publisher: Univ of California Press

ISBN: 0520096010

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 156

View: 663

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An illustrated introduction to ancient Greek tragedy, written by one of its most distinguished experts, which provides all the background information necessary for understanding the context and content of the dramas.

Author: Edith Hall

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780199232512

Category: Drama

Page: 428

View: 898

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An illustrated introduction to ancient Greek tragedy, written by one of its most distinguished experts, which provides all the background information necessary for understanding the context and content of the dramas. A special feature is an individual essay on every one of the surviving 33 plays.