Ancient Greek Drama: Tragedy, Comedy, and Key Playwrights
Ancient Greek Drama
Drama is a significant phenomenon of Greek culture. When discussing Greek tragedy, we refer to the extant works: 7 by Aeschylus, 7 by Sophocles, and 18 by Euripides. These plays span almost 80 years. The poet encourages reflection by viewers who identify with the characters. The performances took place during the Rural Dionysia and the Great Dionysia.
Setting the Scene
- Actors: Poets themselves sometimes acted, and female characters were represented by men. The number of actors changed
Literary Devices: A Comprehensive Guide to Rhetorical Figures
Literary Devices and Rhetorical Figures
This document provides a comprehensive overview of various literary devices and rhetorical figures used in writing and speech.
Sound-Based Devices
- Alliteration: Repetition of the same sound in two or more words.
- Paronomasia: Words with similar sounds and different meanings (a pun).
Repetition-Based Devices
- Similicadencia: Use, at the end of verses, of words with the same grammatical accident or similar sounds.
- Bimembration: A period is divided into two members with
Literary Analysis: Milton, Pepys, Swift, Wollstonecraft, Shakespeare
Paradise Lost
John Milton (poet, historian) was born in London on December 9, 1608, to John and Sara Milton. He attended Christ’s College, Cambridge, graduating in 1629 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and in 1632 with a Master of Arts. He died November 8, 1674. Movement: Renaissance.
Text Analysis: Allusion
Allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, or event, or to another literary work.
Reading Strategy: Reading Difficult Texts
Use a dramatic writing style. This style features striking phrases
Read MoreClassical Influence on Restoration and 18th-Century Literature
Classical Influence in Restoration and 18th-Century Literature
This essay aims to identify and highlight the different elements and characteristics where a certain classical influence can be observed in Restoration and 18th-century literature. This period is also known as the Neoclassical period, due to the great focus and interest of the authors of this period in the original writings of classical Greek and Roman literature. Thus, it can be seen how the literature of this period tried to establish
Read MoreFrench Literary Giants: Stendhal, Balzac, Flaubert, and Zola
Stendhal
Stendhal departed from romantic outbursts, creating cold and cerebral works based on analysis and observation. His ability to perceive the human soul and his clear and precise style, which he claimed to have learned in Idéologie, make him an initiator and master of the realistic movement. The Red and the Black is a psychological novel that recounts the futile attempt of a cynical and ambitious villager to ascend in high society.
Balzac
Balzac loved wealth, luxuries, and pleasures beyond his
Read MoreCatalan Literature and Crown Expansion in the Middle Ages
1. Courtly Love and the Troubadours
Courtly love was a literary and cultural phenomenon in which a troubadour declared himself a servant, faithful and loyal to his lady. The lady, regarded as a higher being, was often married, making it a forbidden love hidden from the husband. The lady’s name was often concealed under a pseudonym.
Key figures:
- Troubadours: Composed poems and plays.
- Minstrels: Sang and spread troubadour poetry with musical accompaniment.
- Poets: Versified in Latin (e.g., Gilles de Cabestany,