WEEK 14 西概筆記(Western Literature)

1. extension of quiz and orientation

Agamemnon 

5. At the end of the play, the Leader says that Orestes will return home. 

→ The leader tells Electra to invoke some evil against the murderers (Clytemnestra and Aegisthus), calling for "the one who murders in return."

Medea

8. Greek drama could best be described as both stylized, with masks and a Chorus and part of a religious celebration.

10. During his own lifetime, Euripides was the least popular of the three tragedians.

→ Euripides was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Greece (the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles).

Lysistrata

5. Why is Kleonike upset that the Milesians cut off the leather trade?
→ She needs a masturbation kit. 

                        

2. Stories

a. Lysistrata

Lysistrata is a comedy by Aristophanes. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace—a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. Additionally, its dramatic structure represents a shift from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author's career. (sexual strike)

b. farce

In theatre, a farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. Farces are often highly incomprehensible plot-wise (due to the many plot twists and random events that occur), but viewers are encouraged not to try to follow the plot in order to avoid becoming confused and overwhelmed. Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. Farces have been written for the stage and film. Furthermore, a farce is also often set in one particular location, where all events occur.

c. Catharsis
Catharsis is the purification and purgation of emotions—especially pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. It is a metaphor originally used by Aristotle in the Poetics, comparing the effects of tragedy on the mind of spectator to the effect of a cathartic on the body.

d. Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist. At eighteen, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of thirty-seven.
Definition of Tragedy :
“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality—namely, Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Melody.”

→ The plot is the most important.
→ The spectacle is the least important.

Requirements for a tragic hero :

In that treatise, Aristotle defines the tragic hero as being someone who participates in a relatively concise narrative (a drama as opposed to an epic) and who possesses a few essential traits.This character must be someone the audience can sympathize with - so not a god or a scoundrel. (see more in this website)

e. tragic flaw

The term hamartia means “to miss the mark” or “to err”. It is most often associated with Greek tragedy, although it is also used in Christian theology. Hamartia as it pertains to dramatic literature was first used by Aristotle in his Poetics. In tragedy, hamartia is commonly understood to refer to the protagonist’s error or flaw that leads to a chain of plot actions culminating in a reversal from their good fortune to bad. What qualifies as the error or flaw can include an error resulting from ignorance, an error of judgement, a flaw in character, or sin. For example, in Antigone, Creon fails to listen to advice or follow the laws of the gods and ends up losing his son and wife and become a "living corpse".

3. How to take great notes 

3 Steps

 

1. Don't write facts. Write conclusions. 

For example, write a question and write the answer following.

2. Use colors!

3. Review your notes. (Try to teach others or spend time to review.)