Greek Drama Vocab Terms

Greek Tragedy Vocabulary Sheet

Purpose of tragedy for audience – to experience pathos, or sympathy for the suffering experienced by the tragic hero as the result of his or her unwitting error in judgment. Experience catharsis -- the cleansing of and relief from repressed emotions 

Purpose of tragedy for tragic hero – is to learn wisdom and to accept their limitations as humans before the laws of the gods.  In short, the high are to be brought low so they can see the roots of their error.
 Mimesis: the realistic portrayal of historical or legendary events as they could (or did) unfold)

Tragic Hero -- a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw (hamartia) that combined with fate (moira), results in tragedy.  This is the central character in a tragic play

Hubris -- exaggerated self pride or self-confidence (overbearing pride), often resulting in fatal retribution. Your judgment > The Gods  It was considered the greatest sin of the ancient Greek world. The category of acts constituting hubris for the ancient Greeks apparently broadened from the original specific reference to molestation of a corpse or a humiliation of a defeated foe to "outrageous treatment" in general.  Hubris is used today to refer to people who believe they are exempt from ordinary limitations on human behavior.

Hamartia – Literally translated, a hamartia is a “fatal flaw.”  In Greek tragedy, however, hamartia refers to a typically desirable personality characteristic or course of action that, due to unforeseen circumstances, results in tragic consequences.

Aréte:  This is the exceptional talent or other feature of the tragic hero that places above the ordinary population. It is generally ALSO the source of their pride (hubris) and their hamartia.

Até:  The blind recklessness frequently displayed by tragic heroes.  Tragic heroes typically act impulsively, commit themselves irreversibly, and reject the advice of others.  This complicates the conflict in the play and leads to the tragic outcomes of the plot.

Chorus – A group of actors representing the voice of society in a tragic play. The chorus will occasionally interact with characters in one of the scenes. However, its most important role is to respond to the action of each scene in a chanted “ode” which presents the thoughts of the citizenry

Choragos – The leader of the chorus. The choragus occasionally steps out of the main body of the chorus to interact with characters in a scene or provide commentary during an ode.

Prologue – The opening scene in a tragic play which presents the setting , introduces the central characters, and establishes the conflict.

Parados – The initial ode following the prologue. This presents an opportunity for the chorus to reveal more information about the setting and establish public opinion about the events at the beginning of the play.

Ode – A chanted response to the events of a scene presented by the chorus. In Greek drama, the chorus would walk or dance from one side of the stage to another while they chanted. Singing and dancing were remnants of the old religious ceremonies that established the first dramatic performances in Greece.

Recognition (Anagnorisis) – The point at which a tragic hero becomes aware of, or accepts, the fact of his or her error in judgment.  This frequently occurs at or near the climax of the conflict in the tragedy. 

Reversal – The tragic hero’s change in behavior resulting from their recognition of error.  In tragedy, the events set in motion by the tragic characters’ actions are generally too far advanced for the hero’s reversal of course to bring about change. 

Nemesis -- The inescapable retribution experienced by the tragic hero as punishment for his/her hubris

Exodus– The closing ode of the play in which the chorus responds to the tragic events and presents the moral lesson to be learned from the events.

Pathos – The sympathy and sorrow felt by the audience for the tragic hero.

Catharsis – The emotional release experienced by the audience of a tragedy.