ANCIENT GREEK TRAGEDY

INTRODUCTION :

                                                Greek tragedy was a popular and influential form of drama performed in theaters across ancient Greece form the late sixth century BC. The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aeschylus, Euripides and many of their works were still performed centuries after their initial premiere.Here we are to see that how ancient tragedy is different from Elizabethan tragedy as well as the characteristics of ancient Greek tragedy.

 CHARACTERISTICS OF GREEK TRAGEDY :

                                        Here are some features of ancient tragedy that make it different from modern tragedy. Let's see those characteristics.

•  Theme
•  Characters
•  Chorus
•  Role of Fate
•  Bloodbath at the End
•  Realization    

 Theme :

                      The theme of ancient Greek tragedy was religious. At that time plays were performed on religious occasion only and they were performed in religious places so the themes of those plays were religious.

 Characters :

                              In comparison of modern tragedy less number of characters were presented on the stage. We can find a number of characters in Elizabethan tragedies but in Greek tragedy only one character was there to perform the play.

 Chorus :

                    If we talk about chorus, in ancient tragedies chorus played an important role. Chorus was the source of moral at the end of the play. It also provided entertainment in the middle of the play.

  Role of Fate :

                     The ancient Greeks believed in the idea of fate or a destiny preordained by Gods no matter what action a person takes in present.The fates were three Goddess who determined the length of a person's life and how much suffering it.

  Bloodbath at the End :

                      It is said that tragedy ends with deaths. We can say that death is an essential feature of every tragedy. Many deaths are found at the end of the play.

  Realization :

                       Realization is one of the important characteristics of Greek tragedy. The protagonist of the play realizes that whatever he has done is wrong but he realizes at the end of the play when time has flown away.

Difference between Greek and Modern tragedy :

1]     Greek tragedies involve chorus.Chorus often provides background detail, poetic elements, and summaries of events in between scenes. Sometimes chorus serves as a type of moral judge over characters' actions and words. Modern tragedies do not have chorus.

2]     Modern tragedies in written form provides readers with stage directions and usually detailed description of plays. While the Greeks did use masks to show character change, they performed their tragedies on a bare stage.

3]     Most importantly, while Greek tragedies feature their heroes and heroines realizing their flaws and sometimes repenting of them, modern tragedies often do not have this feature.

4]     Another important difference between both tragedies is that, in Greek tragedy all problems and tragedy in protagonist's life are created by fate and in modern tragedy there is no place for destiny or fate. The downfall of the hero is because of his hamartia.

5]     Most Greek and Shakespearean tragedies focus on the life of sophisticated and aristocratic society. There is no place for ordinary people like farmer,shepherd or labourer. New literature focus on the life and tragedy of an ordinary person.

Conclusion :

              Thus, Greek tragedy is known as an ancient tragedy. We can see vast difference between Greek and modern tragedies. But the characteristics of both tragedies are somewhat similar, Here, we can see that how both tragedies are different from each other.This was the information about Greek tragedy which is very important part of English tragedy.