The Ancient Greek Theatre
Skene is the stage building that is background to the stage.
Parodos is the side entrance for actors as well as the chorus. It is also the name of the first song sung by the chorus as they enter the orchestra.
Orchestra is the center spot where the chorus stands.
Theatron is where the audience sits.
The Delphic Oracle
Priestess of Delphi (1891) by John Collier
The Pythia, commonly known as the Oracle of Delphi, was the name of any priestess throughout the history of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited for her prophecies inspired by Apollo. The Delphic oracle was established in the 8th century BCE, although it may have been present in some form in Late Mycenaean times, from 1400 BCE and was abandoned, and there is evidence that Apollo took over the shrine from an earlier dedication to Gaia. The last recorded response was given about 395 CE to Emperor Theodosius I after he had ordered pagan temples to cease operation. During this period the Delphic Oracle was the most prestigious and authoritative oracle among the Greeks. The oracle is one of the best-documented religious institutions of classical Greece.
From the Wikipedia entry on Delphic Oracle
Video of Delphic Oracle on YouTube
Important Terms related to Greek Tragedy
Tragic irony is the incongruity (disharmony) created when the (tragic) significance of a character’s speech or actions is revealed to the audience but unknown to the character concerned.
Example from Oedipus the King: Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for the plague that he has caused, not knowing that he himself is the murderer.
Peripeteia (Reversal) is a change from one state of affairs to its exact opposite.
Example from Oedipus the King: the Messenger comes to relieve Oedipus of his fear with regard to his mother, but by revealing his true identity he does just the opposite.
Anagnorisis (Recognition) is a change from ignorance to knowledge, leading either to friendship or to hostility on the part of those persons who are marked for good or bad fortune.
Hamartia is a mistake or error of judgment, sometimes translated as “tragic flaw” – but for Aristotle it is not a moral defect.
Katharsis is the process of releasing repressed emotions, and is an uplifting of the spectators “through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.”
