The concept of the modern drama is deeply rooted in the Greek theatre which developed around the 6th century BC. Talented dramatists from all over the country used to participate in the festival of drama, held in the city of Dionysia and the best among the performed plays was awarded by the state. However, these plays are largely based on the chorus, which was basically a critique of the society. In this article, we would precisely focus on the tragedies that were based on a few rules, which include a high born protagonist, who would face a tragic end because of some fatal flaw which is termed as hamartia. There was always the presence of a chorus which reflects the fear, anger, hopes and judgements of the audience. There are three important names who contributed to the Greek tragedies. These playwrights include Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. In this article we'll try to cover the creations of these three legends. So, let's talk about the tragedies in detail –
Agamemnon
It was written by one of the widely known playwrights, Aeschylus, who was considered as the ‘father of tragedy’. This tragedy is under a collection of trilogy which include The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides apart from the Agamemnon. This play began from the perspective of Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra. Agamemnon has returned from the Trojan war after his victory, but his wife was a bit upset because of the sacrifice of her daughter and the fact that his husband has kept Cassandra as his concubine. The play ends with the murder of Agamemnon in the hands of Clytemnestra. The next two parts revolve around the prophecy regarding the return of Orestes, the son of Agamemnon.
Oedipus Rex
This play, written by Sophocles, revolves around the tragic life of the protagonist, Oedipus. There was a prophecy at the time of his birth that he would murder his father and marry his own mother. Due to this prediction his parents, King Laius and the queen Jocasta took a decision of infanticide but Oedipus was saved and after so many years he came to know about the prophecy and then the bitter truth came out that the woman he has married was actually his mother. Then, Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus makes himself blind. Finally, he leaves Thebes in deep shame and guilt because the king he has murdered to achieve the throne, was his father. In this way Oedipus faced the tragic fall of his life.
Overall, these tragedies set a landmark in the history of English literature.
