May 12, 2014 - May 16, 2014 Weekly Agenda for World Literature

Monday, May 12th:
Read August Wilson's The Piano Lesson

Tuesday, May 13th:
Read August Wilson's The Piano Lesson

Wednesday, May 14th:
Read August Wilson's The Piano Lesson 

Thursday, May 15th:
Read Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire

Friday, May 16th:
Read Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire 

May 5, 2014 - May 9, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, May 5th:
HAMLET, Act 5, Scene 1 questions and translations (see blog)

Tuesday, May 6th:
HAMLET, Act 5, Scene 2 questions and translations (see blog)

Wednesday, May 7th:
Work on HAMLET, Act 5 Test
Due at end of period

Thursday, May 8th:
Background on August Wilson
Begin reading The Piano Lesson

Friday, May 9th:
Continue reading The Piano Lesson 

HAMLET, Act 5, Scene Questions

HAMLET, ACT 5, SCENE 1

Translate into contemporary English the following:

1.

Page 247

Hamlet: lines 140 – 146

To whom is he speaking? About whom?

2.

Page 249

Grave digger and Hamlet: lines 168 – 178

What is the question Hamlet poses to the grave digger?

According to the Grave digger, whose skin lasts the longest?

Why?

3.

Page 251

Hamlet: lines 216 – 223

Why does he say that? What does he mean by this?

4.

Page 253

Doctor: lines 233 – 242

5.

Page 257

Gertrude: lines 302 – 306

About whom is she speaking? What situation is she discussing?

HAMLET; Act 5, Scene 2
Translate the following passages into contemporary English:
1. Page 259; lines 15 - 28; Hamlet
2. Page 261; lines 33 - 62; Hamlet
3. How does Hamlet feel about the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
4. Page 271; lines 200 - 208; Hamlet
5. What is Hamlet saying about Osric and people like Osric?
6. Page 283; lines 389 - 395; Hamlet
7. To whom does Hamlet bequeath the throne?
8. What does Hamlet tell us about death?

April 28, 2014 - May 2, 2014 Weekly Agenda for World Literature

Monday, April 28th:
HAMLET; Act 4, Scene 5, translate the following into contemporary English:
Page 211:
Claudius: lines 88 - 104
Messenger: lines 109 - 118
Page 213:
Laertes: lines 130 - 134
What is the significance of the flowers Ophelia gives to the King and Queen?
Page 219:
King: lines 226 - 236
Laertes: lines 237 - 242

This is due at the end of the period.

Tuesday, April 29th:
HAMLET; Act 4, Scene 6
Page 221
Put into your own words, Hamlet's letter to Horatio

Act 4, Scene 7
Pages 223 - 233
Answer the following questions:
1. What reason does Claudius give to Laertes for not punishing Hamlet sooner? (page 223)
2. What strange letter does Claudius receive? (page 225)
3. What is Claudius proposing to Laertes? (page 227)
4. According to Claudius, why was Hamlet was jealous of Laertes? (page 227)
5. What special skill of Laertes does Claudius flatter? (229)
6. How does Claudius use this flattery to manipulate Laertes?
7. How else does Claudius manipulate Laertes? (page 231)
8. Why is Laertes' response on line 144 ironic? (page  231)
9. What is the specific plan Claudius proposes to Laertes? (page 231)
10. What does Laertes enthusiastically propose to do to help the plan? (page 231)
10. What is the backup plan proposed by Claudius?

Wednesday, April 30th:
Act 4, Scene
Pages 233 - 235
Translate into contemporary English the Queen's lines on pages 233 - 235, lines 190 - 208.

Thursday, May 1st:
Your Act 4 Test will be due today.
Watch Act 5

Friday, May 2nd:
Read Act 5, Scenes 1 and 2
Watch film of Kenneth Branagh's HAMLET; Act 5, Scenes 1 and 2
Discuss

April 21, 2014 - April 25, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, April 21st:
Watch Act 5, Scene 1 and 2

Tuesday, April 22nd:
Special schedule. Shortened period.
Read Act 4, Scene 4
Analyze the Captain's and Hamlet's lines for meaning.

Wednesday, April 23rd:
Special schedule. Shortened period.
Translate and analyze Hamlet's soliloquy for meaning. Due at the end of class.

Thursday, April 24th:
Special schedule. Shortened period.
Read Act 4, Scene 5
Translate and analyze Gertrude's "There is a willow..." monologue
Create tableaux for the scene

Friday, April 25th:
Special schedule. Shortened period.
Read and analyze Act 4, Scene 5
Discussion
Act Four Test will be due on Monday, April 28th.

April 7, 2014 - April 11, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, April 7th:
Work day!
Due today:
Hamlet Act 3 test
"To Be or Not to Be" Illustrations
Translations

Tuesday, April 8th:
Watch Act 4 of Hamlet

Wednesday, April 9th:
Watch Act 5, Scene 1 of Hamlet
Read Act 4, Scene 1
Discussion:
Comprehension
Father/Son connection
Shakespeare's biography: death of father and son
Themes

Thursday, April 10th:
Passed out Act 4 Hamlet Test
Read Act 4, Scenes 2 and 3
Discussion:
Act 4, Scene 2; lines 1 - 5;
Disease Motif
Lines 22 - 40
Puns, Attitude, Circle of Life, Existentialism
Lines 67 - 77
Comprehension
Vocabulary
Claudius' emotional state

Friday, April 11th:
Minimum Day
Work on Act 4 Test

April 7, 2014 - April 11, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, April 7th:
Due today:
Act lll HAMLET Test
Six Panel Illustrations with Captions from "To Be or Not to Be"
Rewriting Act 3 monologues into contemporary English

Tuesday, April 8th:
Pass back Act 2 test
Watch Act 4 of Kenneth Branagh's film HAMLET

Wednesday, April 9th:
Pass out Act 4 HAMLET Test
Read Act 4 of HAMLET
Discussion

Thursday, April 10th:
Read and discuss Act 4
Break into groups of five to do performance art pieces based on:
Claudius' confession
Ophelia's scenes with the King and Queen
The Queen's "There is a willow...." monologue
Claudius and Laertes conspiring together

Friday, April 11th:
Shortened day
Work on the performance art pieces

April 1, 2014 - April 4, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Tuesday, April 1st:
No fourth period today.

Wednesday, April 2nd:
Break into groups of five and pantomime Hamlet's speech to the actors, beginning with:"Speak the speech I pray you, trippingly on the tongue..." As one person reads the lines, the others in the group act out what bad actors do. You may use props and costumes, if you like. Have fun with this.

For homework: Divide the "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy into six parts, illustrate the ideas expressed in each part and write the lines underneath as captions.  This will be due on Friday, April 4th.

Watch HAMLET, Act 3, Scenes 3 and 4.

Thursday, April 3rd:
Read HAMLET, Act 3
Discussion

Friday, April 4th:
Read HAMLET, Act 4
Discussion

Your "To Be or  Not to Be" illustrations are due today.
Your Act 3 test will be due on Monday, April 7th.

March 24, 2014 - March 28, 2014 World Literature

Monday, March 24th:
Pass out Act Three of HAMLET
Watch Act Three, Scene 2 of HAMLET
Discussion

Tuesday, March 25th:
Read Act Three, Scene 2 of HAMLET
Discussion

Wednesday, March 26th:
Finish reading Act 3, Scene 2 of HAMLET
Go over key passages, vocabulary
Page 161, lines 419 - 425, draw two pictures: one for lines 419 - 422, and another picture for lines 422 - 425. Underneath each picture write as captions, the lines from the play.

Thursday, March 27th:
Break into groups of five and pantomime the things Hamlet says bad actors do as a cast member reads the lines, beginning with "Speak the speech, I pray you, trippingly on the tongue...." You may use props and costumes with this.

Friday, March 28th:
Perform the pantomime of Hamlet's directions to the actors.

March 17, 2014 - March 21, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, March 17th:
Go over adjective clause handout
Discussion

Tuesday, March 18th:
Your Act 2 test is due today
Continue HAMLET
Watch Act 3, Scene 1
Read Act 3, Scene 1
Discussion

Wednesday, March 19th:
Pass out Act 3 test
Read Act 3, Scene 2
Discussion

Thursday, March 20th:
Break in to pairs, choose one major character from HAMLET, find and write down what the character says about her/himself, find and write down what others say about the character; then find and write what the character does.
Share with the class

Friday, March  21st:
Work on Act 3 test
Turn in at the end of the period

March 10, 2014 - March 14, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, March 10th:
Watch HAMLET, Act 2, Scene 1
Read HAMLET, Act 2, Scene 1
Pair up, reread Polonius and Reynaldo's scene and write what you think Polonius wants Reynaldo to do and how and why he wants him to do it.
Act out Ophelia's description of Hamlet's behavior in her closet.

Tuesday, March 11th:
Discuss the Polonius and Reynaldo scene
Watch Act 2, Scene 2

Wednesday, March 12th:
Pass back HAMLET Act 1 Test
Read Act 2, Scene 2 of HAMLET
Discussion
Pass out Act 2 Hamlet test

Thursday, March 13th:
Continue reading Act 2, Scene 2
Discussion

Friday, March 14th:
Pair up and locate all references to Hamlet in Acts 1 and 2:
Find and write what he says about himself
Find and write what he does
Find and write what others say about him
Keep this as a running journal.
Discussion

March 3, 2014 - March 7, 2014 World Literature Agenda

Monday, March 3rd:
Work on Act One HAMLET open book test

Tuesday, March 4th:
Shortened day today. No fourth period.

Wednesday, March 5th:
Analysis of Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3; Polonius' speech to Ophelia
Analysis of Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3; Polonius' speech to Laertes

Thursday, March 6th:
Read Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4
Discussion

Friday, March 7th:
Finish Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4
Discussion
Act 1 Test is due today.

February 24, 2014 World Literature Agenda

February 24, 2014 - February 28, 2014 

Agenda for WORLD LITERATURE

Monday, February 24th:

Watch Act 1 of Hamlet

Tuesday, February 25th: 

Go over handout on Shakespeare's Language

Group Activity: Breaking Down Shakespearean Phrases

Read Act 1, Scene 2 of HAMLET

Analyze and discuss

Wednesday, February 26th:

Watch Act 1, Scene 3 of HAMLET

Analyze and discuss

Thursday, February 27th:

Continue analysis of Act 1, Scene 3

Discussion

Friday, February 28th:

Field trip today for 4th Period and the beginning of 5th Period. 

February 17, 2014 - February 21, 2014 World Literature Agenda

Monday, February 17th:
No school today.

Tuesday, February 18th:
No fourth period today.

Wednesday, February 19th:
Watch Act 1, Scene 1 of HAMLET
Read
Discussion: characters; relationships; themes; exposition; mood; tone; language and vocabulary

Thursday, February 20th:
Watch Act 1, Scene 2 of HAMLET
Read
Discussion: characters; relationships; themes, exposition; mood; tone; language and vocabulary


Friday, February 21st:
Watch Act 1, Scene 3 of HAMLET
Read
Discuss
Work on open book test on HAMLET, Act 1

February 10, 2014 - February 14, 2014 World Literature Agenda

Monday, February 10th:
Today class will be held in the lobby of 503 where the Socratic Circle will take place.
This is a major grade. Please be prepared.

Tuesday, February 11th:
Socratic Circle

Wednesday, February 12th:
Watch the dvd of The Gospel of Colonus

Thursday, February 13th:
Watch HAMLET, Act 1, Scene 1
Read HAMLET
Pass out handouts on:
Iambic Pentameter

Friday, February 14th:
Field Trip!
Watch HAMLET
Answer questions over Act 1 of the film, HAMLET

Box Link

Aristotle's Poetics Notes

OUTLINE OF ARISTOTLE’S POETICS 

Treatise composed around 350 B.C and was meant to classify different genres of art, poetry, histories and dramas whereby men could judge what makes good or great art, etc. 

Part One 

Aristotle discusses the art of imitation. 

People imitate objects through color, form, or through rhythm, harmony and language. 

One art form uses language for imitation and can be divided into poetry or prose. 

Language employs meter which gives rise to rhythm.

Iambic: two syllables which are either stressed/unstressed/, or unstressed/stressed or stressed/stressed. 

Elegaic: refers to poetry which mourns someone who has died. 

Epic poetry: poetry that expresses, against a vast canvas of time, the movement and struggles of a large group of people bound by a common nation or ethnicity.  The Epic has at least one hero who represents the best, most heroic elements of that group of people. 

Hexameter: a type of verse that employs four iambs or eight syllables per line. 

Part Two

The purpose of art is the imitation of people in action or people doing things: waging war; outwitting the enemy; overcoming impossible odds; battling the elements, etc. 

The people depicted in the arts are either better than they are in life (Tragedy) or worse than they are (Comedy).  By worse,  Aristotle means sillier. Or as they really are.  The goodness or badness of a character is determined by  his moral character.  The art forms which divide people into moral characters are themselves divided into categories: the art form which shows people better (more noble) than they are is Tragedy. The art form which shows people less than what they are is comedy. 

Part Three

One difference which distinguishes artistic imitation (the artful recreation of an object, animal or human) is the manner in which the object may be imitated.  The manner may be in poetry, and in this manner the writer may choose narration in which he takes on the roles of different characters and speaks as those characters, as Homer does in THE ODYSSEY.  Another manner in which the object may be imitated is the writer creates individual characters who speak for themselves (as in a play). 

There are three differences which distinguish artistic imitation: the medium: language, dancing, lute playing (or music) or painting; the object or the thing imitated: human or animals; and the manner: comedy or drama. 

Homer and Sophocles are similar imitators in that they create humans who are better than humans really are; their creations are more noble.  Aristophanes (playwright of THE ORESTEIA CYCLE, among many others) is also in the same category as Homer and Sophocles for he depicts noble people engaged in action.  The word drama is derived from this concept of people actively pursuing some desire. 

Part IV

Imitation is an intrinsic part of humanity.  We love to imitate; we love to imitate other people, animals, etc. and we love to watch other people imitate people and animals.  Imitation gives us great pleasure and from imitation we learn about ourselves and about the things imitated.  

Imitation, harmony and rhythm are instinctive to people.  They are a part of who we are. Meter, which is created from iambs, is a subdivision of rhythm.  Centuries ago, people who had an aptitude for imitation and rhythm, began to improvise and from these improvisations, poetry grew. 

Poetry branched or diverged in two directions, comedic or tragic, according to the personality or character of the writer.  More serious writers wrote poetry that dealt with serious matters and with noble characters.  The serious writers wrote hymns praising the gods.  Less serious writers wrote less serious poetry and created satires which made fun of groups of people in Greek satire.  Satire is a type of writing, usually of a comedic bent, which exaggerates the behavior of a group of people in order to highlight the flaws, the toxic effects or the sheer stupidity of their behavior.  Before Homer, there were no writers to whom to attribute satiric writings, which is not to say that there were none. 

Epic poetry came first but was succeeded by tragedy which is of a higher art form than epic poetry. 

 Tragedy began slowly and like comedy, started from improvisation. One form of tragedy arose from the dithyrambs, which began as frenzied hymns to the Greek god of theatre and wine, Dionysus, (the Roman god Bacchus).  Dionysus was linked with wild, drunken, animalistic behavior and was contrasted with Apollo who,  at the other end of the Greek god spectrum,  was linked with the coolly refined, rational, intellect. 

Comedy began with the phallic songs, which were bawdy songs created to celebrate the male phallus in honor of Dionysus. 

Aristotle states that tragedy has evolved slowly and it remains to be seen how it will continue to grow. 

Aeschylus, the great Greek playwright, 525-456 B.C.E., wrote THE ORESTEIA CYCLE. He introduced the second actor, diminished the importance of the chorus, and used dialogue to carry the plot. Sophocles raised the number of actors to three and discarded the short, simple plot for a longer plot of greater depth and complexity.  He also introduced scene painting. The crude and vulgar language of the satyric plays was replaced by language of greater grandeur and refinement. Dialogue ushered in the  iambic meter, which closely resembles the normal cadence of regular human speech. More episodes and scenes were introduced to the plays. 

Part V

Comedy uses characters who are lower class.  They are not ugly, but there is something about them which is ludicrous, which is a subdivision of ugly, but there is a defect that is not painful or destructive.  An analogy would be the comic mask which is ugly and distorted but does not imply pain. 

The history of Tragedy is well known, but the history of comedy is not well known for it was not taken seriously. No one knows who introduced masks or prologues in comedies, or who increased the number of actors in comedic plays. 

Both epic poetry and Tragedy are imitations in verse of noble characters. Epic poetry differs from Tragedy in that it uses only one type of meter and is in narrative form - the story is told from the perspective of a narrator.  The Epic poem and Tragedy differ in length for in Tragedy the length of the plot is confined to the “single revolution of the sun” or one day.  The Epic poem has no limits of time, but rather is concerned with vast stretches of time in which a large group of people struggle. 

In Tragedy and in Epic poetry there are some similarities between the two; for example, there are some elements of an Epic poem that are found in Tragedy but there are elements of Tragedy that are not found in Epic poetry. 

. 

Part VI

Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude or importance.  The language used in Tragedy has rhythm, harmony and  song.  Some parts of the Tragedy is spoken and other parts are sung. Language is used to arouse pity and fear in the audience and through the “purging” of these emotions,  catharsis is achieved. The plot of Tragedy is shown through action and not narration (it is acted out and not simply told). 

Tragic imitation implies that people are acting like the characters and are acting out the events of the story.  It thus follows that “Spectacular Equipment” (or scenery, props and costumes)  will be a part of the Tragedy.  Song and diction are also integral to the media of imitation. Diction is the metrical arrangement of the words (syntax but placed in a rhythmic pattern) and song is exactly as we understand a song to be - words put to music. 

The elements of Tragedy are in order of importance: 

Plot

Character

Diction

Thought 

Spectacle 

Song 

Tragedy is an imitation of an action and an action implies character and thought.  There must be a character and  a thought before there is action. 

Plot is the imitation of the action.  By plot, Aristotle means the arrangement of the incidents which make up the plot. 

Character must possess thought whenever a statement is proved  or a general truth is spoken. 

The quality of each of the six components of Tragedy determine the overall quality of the Tragedy.

Two of the components constitute the medium of imitation. 

One of the components constitute the manner. 

Three of the components constitute the objects of imitation. 

The structure of the incidents (or the plot points) of the play are very important.  For Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of action and of life, and life consists of action, not of quality.  

Character determines people’s qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or not.  Dramatic action is not used to represent character; character is a subsidiary to the actions. The most important components of Tragedy is the plot and the incident which make up the plot.  Without action there cannot be a tragedy.

Most of the contemporary poets and artists of Aristotle’s time failed (in Aristotle’s estimation)  in the rendering or depiction of character. Aristotle briefly discusses two artists, one who depicts character well (Polygnotus), and one (Zeuxis)  whose characters lack an ethical quality.  

Aristotle argues if a poet strings together a series of well written speeches that are spoken by interesting  characters, with brilliant ideas expressed in beautiful language, the essential tragic effect will not be created nearly as well as a play that is deficient in interesting characters and beautiful language but has a plot and well constructed incidents. 

The most important emotional elements in Tragedy is Peripeteia or Reversal of the Situation, and the Recognition scenes, which are parts of the plot.  Novices or beginner writers have a tendency to create interesting characters and pretty speeches but forget to create an interesting plot. 

The plot is the soul of Tragedy and is the most important element.  Character is the second most important element in Tragedy, just as it is in painting.  The most beautiful colors applied in a confused way will not bring the same pleasure as a simple chalk outline of a portrait.  Tragedy is the imitation of an action.

The third element in Tragedy is thought, which is the faculty to say what is pertinent to the given circumstances.  The case of oratory deals with speeches  in the realm of the political and the art of rhetoric. The older poets make their characters speak the language of civic life.  The poets of our times, the language of of the rhetoricians.  Character reveals moral purpose in what the man choses to do or avoid.  Speeches in which the speaker does not make a choice is not expressive of character.  Thought is round where something is proved to be or not to be. 

The fourth element in importance is diction. Diction is the selection of words and how they are put together (syntax). 

Of the remaining elements Song is the most important place among the embellishments (or ornamentation or not essential or decorative). 

Spectacle, or scenery, costumes, etc. hold an emotional power, but of all the elements spectacle is the least artistic and least connected to poetry. The power of Tragedy can be felt without spectacle, but spectacle depends more on the art of the stage designer and stage technician. 

Part Vll

Definition of Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is complete, whole and of a certain magnitude (or importance).  By whole, Aristotle means the play has a beginning, a middle and an end.  The beginning does not  follow anything, but after the beginning the events, the action or plot points follow each other, and the end follows the preceeding events but does not have anything following it.  A well constructed plot does not begin or end haphazardly, but confirms to these principles. 

A beautiful object, whether it be a living organism or any whole composed of parts, must  have an orderly arrangement but must be of a certain magnitude (or size).  It cannot be too small for the view of it is confused and is seen in an almost imperceptible amount of time; nor cannot it be too large for it cannot be taken in at one time by the eye.  The unity and sense of the whole is lost. The object must be able to be embraced by the observer in one view.  In plot, a certain length is necessary and is one that can be easily embraced by the memory. The proper length is determined by the nature of Tragedy.  The greater the length the more beautiful the piece will be, provided that the whole is in balance.  The play must be long enough so that the sequence of events will allow for a change of fortune from good to bad, according to the law of probability or necessity. 

Part Vlll

Unity of plot does not consist in the unity of the hero for there are many disconnected, ununified  events in a man’s life and there are many actions of one man that are not connected. Playwrights err when they try to use the character as the unifying factor of a play.  Homer has discerned this important rule of not using the character as a unifying principle for he does not include all the adventures of Odysseus - for example,  Odysseus’ goring at Parnassus or his feigning madness at the mustering of the host-generals - incidents between which there is no necessary connection.  He centered both  THE ODYSSEY and THE ILIAD  on one central plot.   The central theme in THE ODYSSEY is a man meeting the challenges of an angry god in order to go home; in THE ILIAD, the central unifying factor is the ten year war between two powerful armies. 

In other imitative arts, there is the imitation of one object. The plot, being an imitation of an action,  must be whole so that all the separate parts of the action form one complete, unbreakable unit.  If one part is taken out, the plot will become disjointed and disturbed.

If a part can be taken out without harming the overall completeness of the plot, then that part is not an organic part of the whole. 

Part lX

It is not the poet’s job to relate what has already happened, but what may happen and what is possible according to the law of probability.   To relate what has happened is the province of the historian.  To write what may happen is the province of the poet. The works of the historian Herodotus (Hi RO’ dotus - rhymes with “eroticus) could be put into verse or meter but it is history, not poetry.  Poetry is of a higher philosophical level and of a more elevated status than history for poetry expresses the universal but history can only express the particular or the specific. By universal Aristotle means the depiction or imitation of how a certain type of person on a specific occasion may speak or act. 

In comedy the writers construct a plot according to what is probable and then attaches appropriate names to the characters.  Lampooners write about specific people. 

In tragedies, the writers use real people for what has happened is credible.  What has not happened we are not sure is possible.   But even in tragedies there are few plays in which real names are used; most tragedies use fictitious names for not all heroic stories are known to all and even those stories using fictitious names still give pleasure. 

Poets are creators of plots rather than verse for what he writes is an imitation of action. Even those poets who take on historical subjects are still poets for those things that have occurred can still conform to the law of what is probable and possible.  

The worse type of plot is episodic for it is a series  of events which follow each other without probable or necessary sequence.  Bad poets compose each pieces by their own fault; but good poets compose pieces to please the players for show pieces for competition.  Poets stretch the plot beyond its capacity and often break the natural continuity of the plot. 

Tragedy is an imitation not only of a complete action but of events inspiring fear or pity. Fear or pity is best produced when the events come on us by surprise and the impact is heightened when, at the same time, the events follow as cause and effect.  This type of impact, one which is caused by cause and effect, is much better than that impact which occurs by accident.  Even an accidental incident is better if there is an air of design - fate or the gods causing this seeming accident to occur is much more satisfying than one in which the accident is random and meaningless. 

Part X

Plots are either simple or complex for plots are imitations of real life in which a series of events can be either complex or simple.  An action which is complete and continuous with a reversal of fortune occurring without a “reversal” and without recognition is called “simple”.  

A complex action is one in which the change of fortune occurs with reversal, or recognition or both.  These should be the result of the internal structure of the plot; the reversal and/or recognition must occur as a probable result of the preceding actions. 

PROPTER HOC means the fallacious belief that an event was the cause of a succeeding event because the two are correlated:  ice cream sales went up this summer; drowning deaths went up this summer; therefore, eating ice cream causes drowning deaths. 

POST HOC means the fallacious belief that a prior event was the cause of a succeeding event because the prior event occurred first and the second event occurred after, implying that one caused the other which may not be true. 

PART XI 

Reversal of situation is when an action veers around to its opposite but must be logical and probable and a result of the preceding events. 

An example from OEDIPUS is when the messenger arrives to cheer Oedipus and free  him from his alarms about his parents, but the news has the opposite effect and leads Oedipus closer to realizing who he is. 

Another example is in LYNCEUS when Lynceus is being led away to be killed by Danaus, but the outcome is that Lynceus kills Danaus. 

Recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge, creating love or hate between the persons destined for good or bad fortune.  The best form of recognition occurs with a reversal of the situation, as in OEDIPUS.  Even inanimate objects or trivial things can be seen as objects of recognition. Recognition occurs between two people, but it may be that only one person recognizes the other, or that recognition may occur between two people. Recognition combined with reversal creates pity and fear in the audience.

Two parts of the plot - reversal of the situation and recognition  - turn upon surprises.  A third part is the Scene of Suffering.  The Scene of Suffering is a destructive or painful action.  

Section Two 

Part Xll

Discussion of the division of a tragedy into prologue, episodes, etc. 

Part Xlll

A perfect tragedy should be arranged on the complex plan.  Fear and pity are aroused when a man of high status who is neither exceptionally good, virtuous and just, or exceptionally bad, treacherous and evil, is brought from prosperity to adversity, not through vice or depravity, but through some error in judgment or frailty.

The change of fortune must not be that of a good and virtuous man falling from prosperity to adversity for that only shocks us. Neither should the change of fortune be that of a bad man going from adversity to prosperity for nothing can be more alien to the spirit of Tragedy for it possesses not a single tragic quality. It neither satisfies the moral sense nor calls forth pity or fear. Nor should the downfall of a thoroughly bad man be exhibited, for this plot would satisfy the moral sense but it would inspire neither pity nor fear for pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune and fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves. 

 Pity is aroused by unmerited bad fortune, and fear is aroused by the misfortunes of a man, neither good nor bad, but middling like us, by some error in judgment. 

A well constructed plot should have a focus on a single plot line. The change of fortune should be not from bad to good but from good to bad.  This fall should be the result, not of vice, but of some great error or frailty.  The best tragedies are those based on a few houses, such as the House of Oedipus and others who have done or suffered something terrible. The best proof is that on the stage, such plays are the most tragic in effect. 

Euripides (480 - 406 B.C.E.) was one of the three great Greek tragedians (Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides).  He wrote many plays but his best known  plays are MEDEA, ELECTRA, THE TROJAN WOMEN, and IPHIGENIA in AULIS. 

There are some who maintain that a higher ranked form of tragedy is one that has two plot lines with two different endings - one for the good character and another contrasting ending for the bad character; however, Aristotle disagrees with this for it does not give true tragic pleasure.  Aristotle believes that the double plot lines work better for comedies,  where two characters are bitter enemies at the beginning of the play but leave the stage at the end of the play the best of friends with no one slaying or being slain. 

Part XIV

Fear and pity may be aroused by spectacle; but the better way is that fear and pity may be aroused through the inner structure of the plot, which indicates the better poet.  The story should be so constructed that even without watching the play, but hearing the story should strike fear in the heart and melt the heart of the listener.  To produce this effect through mere spectacle (sets, costumes, special effects) is less artistic and is extraneous to the true structure of tragedy, which is that pity and fear are aroused through imitation. 

The circumstances which strike us as terrible or pitiful: 

One action which arouses pity or fear is the slaying of one person who is dear or close to another; for example, a father killing his daughter such as Agammemon slaying his daughter, Iphigenia.  Other actions, such as enemies killing each other or people who are indifferent to each other do not arouse feelings of pity or fear, aside from the witnessing of the suffering such actions bring. 

The slaying may be done consciously as in Medea slaying her children out of revenge for Jason’s betrayal of her with the witch Cassandra, or it may be done without knowledge as in Oedipus slaying his father.  The slaying occurs in ignorance and the kinship is discovered afterwards.  In OEDIPUS REX the incident occurs prior to the beginning of the play; in other plays, the incident may occur within the play. 

The fourth case is when someone is about to do an irreparable deed through ignorance, but makes the discovery before it is done. For the deed  must be either done or not done - either wittingly or unwittingly.  But of all the ways, to be about to act knowing the person and then not to act is the least effectively tragically.  This is the least effective for it is shocking without being tragic, for no disaster follows the action.   This is rarely found in poetry.  An exception to this is found in ANTIGONE in which Haemon threatens to kill his father, Creon, for condemning Antigone to death. 

The better occurrence is when the deed is perpetrated.  Still better is when the deed is perpetrated but in ignorance and the discovery of the identify of the slain occurs afterwards.  There is nothing to shock us, while the discovery afterwards produces a startling effect. 

The last case is the best when someone is about to slay another but realizes at the last moment the other’s true identity such as in IPHIGENIA, the sister recognizes the brother  at the last moment and spares his life. 

Part XV

There are four elements that must be aimed for with regard to creation of character.  First, the character, through speech and action, must be good.   Speech and action must show moral purpose.  This rule is relative to class.  According to Aristotle, this applies even to women(!?) even though they are inferior (!?) and to slaves who are, according to Aristotle, quite worthless. 

The second aspect is propriety, or behavior appropriate to the status or gender of the character. Manly valor in a man is good but in a woman is inappropriate; likewise, unscrupulous cleverness is inappropriate for a woman. 

Thirdly,  character must be true to life.  

Fourth, the character must be consistent. If the character is inconsistent, then s/he must be consistently inconsistent. One example of a poet failing to maintain consistency is Euripides’ Iphigenia, the suppliant, in no way resembles her later self. 

As in plot, the character must behave in a necessary or probable way.  The character’s behavior should also follow necessary or probable sequence.  The character must behave in a logical way predicated on what has occurred before and in a manner that is consistent with the character’s make-up. 

The unraveling of the plot, no less than the complication of the plot, must arise out of the plot and not through DEUS ex MACHINA - or machines of the gods, which is the unexpected irrational or supernatural solution to a story’s ending; for example, the gods intervening  to save the hero from an inevitable ending at the last moment is unsatisfying and is an example of bad writing. 

The DEUS ex MACHINA can only be used to for events that are external to the drama - for events that occur either before or after that which occurs in the play and that lie beyond the range of human knowledge and that must be reported or foretold.  

Since tragedy is the imitation of persons who are above the common level, the likeness of the character to humans must be realistic but more beautiful.  Even those characters who are indolent or irascible or have other defects of character must be somehow ennobled. 

The poet should not be neglectful of appealing to the senses: for example, sight and sound, for although they are not essential to poetry, they are still important.  They are concomitant (kon kom’ i tant). 

Part XVl

Here we will discuss Recognition in greater detail. We will enumerate the different types of recognition. 

The least artistic form of recognition, which is from poverty of wit, is the one most commonly employed and that is recognition from signs.  The signs may be congenital scars or marks acquired before birth, and others may be acquired after birth.  Another way of recognition might be from objects separate from the human body, such as tokens or a piece of jewelry.  

Both the old swineherd’s recognition of Odysseus  and the Old Nurse’s recognition of Odysseus  by the scar on his thigh comes about by a turn of incident. 

Another type of recognition is invented by will by the poet; it is not organic and it is flat footed or contrived and therefore lacking in art.  An example is when Orestes in THE IPHIGENIA reveals his identity,  and Iphigenia reveals her identity by a letter.  But Orestes, by simply stating his identity is saying what the poet wants said and not what the plot requires. 

The third kind of recognition depends on memory which is awaken by the sight of some object. An example of this is in THE ODYSSEY when Odysseus, hearing the minstrel sing of the great exploits of the Greek soldiers in the Trojan War,  breaks down into tears, which prompts the King of the Phoenicians, in whose court Odysseus is residing, to demand the identity of his guest. 

The fourth kind of recognition is by the process of reasoning. Aristotle gives several examples - a character states that no one looks like me but Orestes, therefore Orestes has come, etc. 

There is a false recognition in THE ODYSSEY in “The Great Bow” when Odysseus bends the great bow and one of the revelers note that no one but Odysseus can do that; it is expected that the suitors would recognize that the old beggar is Odysseus but surprisingly, none of them does. 

The best of all the recognitions is when it arises from the incidents themselves, where the startling discovery is made by natural means as in THE ODYSSEY when Odysseus strings the bow and shoots an arrow through twelve ax rings, an impossible feat that only Odysseus was known to be able to do. 

February 4, 2014 - February 8, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, February 3rd: 

Power Point of Aristotle's Poetics

Break into groups to work on questions for the Socratic Circles

Tuesday, February 4th: 

Work on questions for the Socratic Circle

Wednesday, February 5th: 

No 4th period today

Thursday, February 6th: 

Present the Socratic Circle

Friday, February 7th: 

Finish presenting the Socratic Circle 

Pages 44 - 68; Oedipus Class Notes

Wednesday, January 22^nd:

Class Notes for 4^th Period Class

Please reread pages 44 – 45, the Chorus; Ode ll, Strophe 1 through Antistrophe 2; determine what three types of people one should refrain from being, and what happens to those types of people. 

Vocabulary for Ode ll; pages 44 - 45

Begot: to be sired from or born from

Haughtiness: extreme arrogance

Levity: lack of respect

Blasphemy: to speak ill of the gods or to show disrespect to the gods.

Summit: the top of the mountain

Plummet: to fall from a great height

Comely: pleasing

Ordinance: rules

Impious: men who do not keep the laws of gods.

Obscurities: lack of clarity; the Delphic oracle was noted for very unclear, general predictions.

In the first stanza, the chorus is speaking of the Titans, the gods who preceded the gods of the Olympian gods.  The Titans lived before the beginning of Time, which was created by the father of the Titans, Chronos, who was also the god of Time.

The first type of evil person is a TYRANT, who plummets to the dust of hope (despair) due to his recklessness and vanity.

The second type of evil person is the haughty one, who will be caught up in a net of pain, and will bear the blows of heaven upon his heart and mind if he pretends to be a holy man.

The third are those who do not believe in the Oracles.

Scene lll

Iocaste: believes that the soothsayers lie.  All the predictions turn out false!

Why does she believe this?

She had a son with her first husband. What did the soothsayer say about their child?  That he would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother.

What did the parents do to prevent that terrible prediction?

They pierced the ankles of the baby with a thorn; gave him to a shepherd to leave on a mountain to die.

Oedi- feet

Pus: Swollen

Page 54 - 56

What is the “good news” the messenger from Corinth  tells Oedipus?

The “good news” is that the king, Polybos, has died. 

In relief Oedipus says that the oracles utter empty words: his father has died,  but not by his hands.

Then, the messenger from Corinth tells Oedipus that Polybos was not his father.

But Oedipus  is still fearful of sleeping with his mother.

The messenger tells him that Merope was not his mother, either; that he himself gave Oedipus, as a baby with bound feet (Laios instructed  the baby’s feet be bound together by a thorn) , to King Polybos and Queen Merope.  The messenger tells Oedipus that his scarred ankes should tell him the truth.

Oedi- foot

Pus - swollen

Why does Iocaste not want Oedipus to continue investigating who he is?

Oedipus interprets Iocaste’s reluctance to allow him to continue with his investigation as arrogance on her part.

He accuses of her being conceited, arrogant, and snobbish. He says that she would be shamed if it were revealed that he is of low birth.

Iocaste exits the palace, for she knows what fearful horrible things will soon come to light!

Oedipus says, not yet realizing the horrible irony of his words,  that the matter of his birth is of no importance for he is a child of luck, and his brothers are the passing months.

Ode lll (pages 56 – 57)

Pan: satyr, half-goat/half-man.  A woodland nymph who is quite a rascal and blows a pan flute. He is a symbol of wanton, promiscuous sexuality.

Dionysus: the god of wine and of theatre.

Hermes: the messenger god.

Scene iv; pages 57 - 63

Oedipus asks the messenger where and how he got the baby?  The messenger says that a shepherd from Laios’ household gave  him the child. The shepherd from Laios’s household took pity on the child and did not want to kill it.

The shepherd from Thebes was in charge of getting rid of the baby, but took pity on the child with the bound feet and gave it to the messenger.

The shepherd is summoned who is also quite old, like the messenger, and at first does not “remember” the messenger (most likely he does recognize him, but understandably does not wish to reveal his role in this awful tragedy).

The messenger refreshes his memory: they spent three seasons between the months of March and September tending their flocks together.

The messenger asks the shepherd if he remembers giving him a baby to take care of.  The shepherd tries to avoid answering these incriminating questions and becomes quite angry and belligerent  when the messenger blurts out that Oedipus was the child whom the shepherd gave to him. 

Attention is now turned to the shepherd: who, from Laios household, gave him the baby?

When the old man tries to avoid answering, Oedipus becomes enraged and threatens the old man with death if he does not tell who gave him the baby.

Upon threat of torture, the old shepherd confesses the horrible news that it was Iocaste who gave him the child to dispose of.

Oedipus is the killer of Laios, the king, who is his father.

Oedipus married Iocaste, his mother.

Iocaste bore four children by her son/husband and Oedipus was the killer of her husband – his father.

Ode iv; (pages 63 – 65)

Renown: great fame and honor.

Sirings: the children whom he sired (fathered).

Happy is he who is never born. Unhappy is he who has a long life.

Chorus: I who saw your days call no man blest!

Chorus:

What measure shall I give these generations

That breathe on the void and are void

And exist and do not exist?

Who bears more weight of joy

Than mass of sunlight shifting in images,

Or who shall make his thought stay on

That down time drifts away?

The above is a reference to the Titans who proceeded time and who exists beyond the matter of mere mortals. Their joy is above the weight and mass of the shifting, ephemeral light of changing images.

Extended metaphor comparing Oedipus’ mind to that of a bow and an archer.

Before, Oedipus’ mind was a strong bow.

Deep, how deep you drew it then, hard archer,

At a dim fearful range,

And brought dear glory down!

You overcame the stranger

The virgin with her hooking lion claws –

(With your keen intelligence you destroyed the sphinx who held all of Thebes in terror!)

Oedipus, the most renown of all men, has fallen to that state of a low slave, ground under bitter fate.

The following is a reference to Iocaste:

The great door that expelled you to the light

Gave at night – ah, gave night to your glory:

As to the father, to the fathering son.

Garden: Iocaste

Harrowed: to plow

Things done in the past, in the dark, in secret, will be brought to the light.

Oedipus’s reign was a lie which lulled Thebes into a false, blind, unknowing sleep of peace and safety.

False years went by: Oedipus’ reign, which was illegitimate and defiled by his father’s murder and by siring children with his mother.

Exodos; pages 65 - 68;

Vocabulary

Venerate: to revere; to greatly honor

Nothing can cleanse the city of Thebes due to the actions of Oedipus.

Iocaste has committed suicide. 

January 27, 2014 - January 31, 2014 Agenda for World Literature

Monday, January 27th:

Read OEDIPUS REX

Discussion

Class Notes

Tuesday, January 28th:

Read OEDIPUS REX

Discussion 

Class Notes
Reflective Questions

Wednesday, January 29th:

Finish reading OEDIPUS REX
Discussion
Class Notes
Reflective Questions 

Thursday, January 30th:

Break into groups to create tableaux for OEDIPUS REX

Friday, January 31:

Continue working on the tableaux for OEDIPUS REX