Please consider offering the National Theater's productions of the Greek tragedies and comedies as educational resources. These plays tell us so much about humanity and it is a great shame that these incredibly successful productions put together by theatrical geniuses are not available for us all to enjoy and learn from.
hello BGS, these are some interesting things i learnt ;D Tragedy plays on the fact that the world is flawed with injustice Even though tragedy is so old it still bears relevance to today When greeks are about to die they would make a reference to the sun Always starts with a prologue and then chorus American playwrights have followed the structure of greek tragedy like soap opera Tragedy is about accepting death, injustice and having the strength to carry on It shows that some things are caused by our actions and as such can be remediable by our actions The main thing in tragedies is the error of judgement which is real people making real mistakes
Hi Eli, yes that is Christopher Eccelston who appeared in the 2012 production of Antigone and features in much of our content on that production which is available on this channel.
these videos are very helpful! I have to report about Greek literature and arts and I got tired of doing research this helped me a lot. Thank you so much
I loved the explanation of catharsis! While listening I thought "that's exactly what I felt after seeing Medea in 2014". And I mean, exactly that feeling. Now I know what it's called :)
Thank you for your comment. We will be uploading more content on Greek Theatre over the coming weeks focusing on the National Theatre's 2012 production of Antigone so make sure you subscribe for updates.
Greek tragedy survives because living is a tough experience. It survives to this day and plays about The Human Condition are common enough but not frequent enough. These days everything has to be glamorised. A case in point is the current A Star is Born. It had to be updated to the 'rock' era to make it more credible(?). Of course there is love but, although brittle, it feels sanitized.
I got assigned this video (with a slideshow to fill out) while I had COVID. Now that I'm back to school, I'm making up this assignment. I'm nearly finished with all of the work I need to complete, wish me luck! (P.S. don't get COVID, it's not fun. If you're a student, the make-up work you'll have afterward is even worse! Also, because of my absence, I got to read act two of Macbeth before I read act one. I think it actually made the experience of reading it a bit more enjoyable.) Anyways, it's pretty cool seeing how everyone got here from their English teachers!
a very sassy film, I do however thing that the walls, the wall too white, and then the part with bistro beef also kind of spoiled it. other than that, 9/11 would watch again...
I've written a summary of notes on the video on the points each professor suggested, see what you think. Professor Edith Hall = An essential reason as to why Greek Tragedy itself thrives is because of its intensity with suffering, especially because of the bold way in which philosophers of the Greek era, almost 2000 years ago now have such a heavy approach in writing tragedies. Dr Laura Swift = Greek tragedy transcends cultural and language boundaries, yet it speaks to us because of its approach on human values that are relatable; preys on universal values, difficulties of unfairness and social attitudes. Professor Edith Hall = The first philosophical study of Greek tragedy was by Aristotle and he thought Greek Tragedy was effective was through of his formula of: making the ‘tragic hero’ good, but not overly to a point where they are not relatable (almost average) Dr Sean McEvoy = An essential point of Aristotle’s take on tragedy is the hamartia - the error of judgement (also the fatal flaw). The tragedy is enforced by good people making bad decisions that lead to terrible results - but all for a good reason. - World full of suffering, injustice and misery but are all of our own doing. Caused by our actions and are therefore remedial by our actions. Professor Edith Hall = Death is a key aspect of Greek tragedy, almost all have someone die. Enforces this horror with tragedy, but characters have a peculiarly intense relationship with the audience so the audience revel in the catharsis. Another symbol of death is the recurring motif of sun, which is commonly used as a symbol of nearby death - a device scarcely used in the modern era. Dr Laura Swift = Highlights structure that believes it is a stylised genre that has a relatively fixed structure, which is almost formulaic where a prologue is done to set the scene, then the chorus and singing introductory come in which comment on the scene but also allow the passing of time - acts a montage. Professor Edith Hall = Believes an innovation in Greek Literature is through the structural methods introduced to their plots, enforces this idea of skilful writing that explores flaws that have led to the disaster. The montage like structure has had an unimaginable type of impact on the writing. Dr Sean McEvoy = Modern plays that deliberately use the structures of Greek tragedy. An example is the Death of a salesman. Professor Edith Hall = Modern form of entertainment uses same kind of material as Greek opera. Often have features like: two brothers fighting; tragic unexplained deaths; affairs; powerful matriarchs and illegitimacy. Carries on having an impact in our main forms of entertainment. Dr Sean McEvoy = Audience experiences a feeling of catharsis - almost cleansing of emotion through emotional release in crying. Dr Laura Swift = Emotionally draining, its traumatic but also a good experience. Professor Edith Hall = Engaged in the content and actually feel better for that, strong emotion of sympathy and hopes it doesn’t affect you - paradoxically strengthens you. Dr Sean McEvoy = Tragedy confronts suffering, death, mourning and loss. It enables us find reflections of our own lives, see that they are shared values and a part of tradition.
Hello, educational video used in classrooms. Can you muffle and dip into whispers a bit more? I almost caught a full sentences there. Sorry to be short, but I need to be taking notes here.
Many popular and great Western artists entertain others, but they are not entertained and end their lives tragically. This is part of their tragedy. Art and outlook on life mirror each other. Tragedy originates from art and drama, but that is the drama of life that they believe in. Humans chase and seek money and popularity, while those who are considered successful in life and have money and popularity, chase and seek themselves and have not met. Even though finding oneself does not need money and popularity. But whosoever turns away from My Reminder, verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection. (124)He will say: "O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before).(125)(Allah) will say: "Like this Our Ayat came unto you, but you disregarded them, and so this Day, you will be neglected. (126)
