Thursday, November 7, 2013
Medea Background Articles
Be sure to read the four articles from the website that give you more detailed background information that will be helpful when you read/view Medea. In a reply below, write a brief summary of ONE of the articles. Keep your summary factual and avoid wordiness. Reply to another student's summary with a specific compliment or suggestion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The first article about Aristotle's Elements and Ideas of Tragedy contained six elements as well as other points that Aristotle says a tragedy must maintain. First, six elements in order from least to most important are thought, diction, melody, spectacle, character, and plot. He also stated that in a tragedy the tragic situation must truly be tragic, the chorus should be harmonic, spoken in dramatic form, arouse pity and fear from the audience, and include a catharsis and discovery/peripety(change form beginning to end) such as rich to poor. His last two points say that the change in the character must depend on the goodness of the character, and everything must be based on how the audience will react. Remember, the emotion we want is pity. Lastly, the plot of the tragedy must include some horrible deed.
ReplyDeleteElisabeth~
DeleteGreat job summarizing Aristotle's article on the ideas of tragedy. Your word choice throughout the summary was very well chosen and you clearly demonstrated the elements of tragedy. Your use of an example of a catharsis (rich to poor) helped the reader to grasp the concept.
Great Job!
Good summary. I think it is important to study the past, and for those who are studying drama, this is about as far back you can get.
DeleteThe third article characterizes the ways in which one might identify a hero. The author begins by pointing out ten main elements that define a hero such as, hero's are neither fools nor invincible, a hero's way is not always direct or clear to him, etc. Further more, the author sites many comparisons between hero's as he did with Buddha and Christ. Many examples are demonstrated as one hero related to another. As the author transitions, he writes, "Life, the journey of light and dark that we go through, evokes our character." Beginning with this statement, he demonstrates how heroism relates to our ordinary lives and concludes with thoughts regarding our "quest" in life.
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was very interesting, and I like how you summarized it; it is interesting to read about what defines a hero, and especially the historical figures who are reviled as such :). Our hero's defiantly tell us a lot about our culture.
DeleteI like the statement about how heroes are sometimes not the strongest. They have their own faults, their own worries. If they were invincible, they would not reflect anything about us, since we ourselves are vulnerable.
DeleteThe fourth article, "The Weeping Woman" is similar to the tragic story of "Madea" in many ways. Set in Mexico it is tells the story of a woman who works hard and sacrifices herself to feed her children while her husband frequents the local bars; only to have him leave one day upon falling in love with another. Now her already oppressive life becomes only that much more difficult to bear, and her grief over her children's misery is almost too much to carry. So difficult in fact, that one evening after a special mass she pushes her children into a river believing that they will be safer and happier in heaven. She awakes in the night, terror stricken by what she has done. Rushing to the river she thinks she sees them, and upon leaning down to pull them out, falls in and drowns.
ReplyDeleteWhile I really liked your summary, I am pretty sure that there were two other stories within that article. While they were incredibly similar, you probably should have included them in your summary.
DeleteI liked your summary on this article. I liked how you compared it to the story of "Medea". Although, like Bailey said, there was more than one story in this article. But good job summarizing "The Weeping Woman"
DeleteJason was the son of Aeson and Alcimede. Aeson’s stepbrother Pelias stole the thrown of Lolcus from Aeson in battle and killed Aeson’s family. Fortunately Alcimede saved Jason by giving him to Chiron, a centaur, for guardianship. Pelias, obsessed with his throne consulted an oracle who told him that his throne would be stolen by a man wearing one sandal. When Jason grew up he attempted to win back his throne, but Pelias created a challenge for Jason. If Jason could return the Golden Fleece to the kingdom, he would win the throne. Jason left to find the Golden Fleece with a team of 50 people called the “Argonauts”, later increasing to 100. Jason traveled through the black sea to the island of Lemnos, Doliones, and Thrace. After misadventures on all these islands, Jason and the Argonauts reached Colchis where the Golden Fleece was located. In Colchis, Jason met King Aietes and asked him to return the Golden Fleece; Aietes agreed on the condition that Jason passed dangerous tasks, Aietes’ daughter Medea helped Jason with marriage on the line. Medea then saves Jason from Aietes’ plans to kill him and helps Jason recover the Golden Fleece and flee Colchis. Medea then helped Jason and the Argonauts overcome many obstacles on the way home from Colchis. Back in Lolcus, Jason learns of his uncle’s murdering of his father and mother, and Medea takes revenge and kills Pelius.
ReplyDeleteNice summary. It is clear and covers the range of the story, while including detail like the number of Argonauts. Still, it does not get carried away in the detail, and therefore is easy to read.
DeleteGood summary. It is easy to read because the details are clear and related to the article. It covers the article without confusing the reader.
DeleteIn the first article, it explains how Aristotle interpreted the elements of tragedy. He listed the six most important elements in his opinion. These were: plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. He thought these were all needed for a play to succeed. Aristotle also thought there were other things needed for a successful play. For example, a unity of plot, have a dramatic, rather than narrative form, and make sure the change of character must depend on the goodness of the character. Aristotle made some great points in how to write a good play.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very clear and concise summarization of the article, without adding unnecessary information. It simplifies the words Aristotle used, making it a quick easy read. Good job!
DeleteYou do a very good job of getting straight to the point. You make it very simple to understand.
DeleteI like the way you can summarize what you want in such little words, yet be very specific and it's easy to understand.
DeleteThis was a very precise summary, without being too lengthy. Good job!
DeleteIn Article 1, tragedy according to Aristotle is examined by a speaker, who finds tragedy to be focused on a serious issue, having a pleasing sound, dramatized rather than told, providing the audience with the sense of pity towards the main character, and allowing the audience to release their accumulated tension.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker also examines Aristotle's six elements of tragedy: Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Melody, and Spectacle. Thought deals with what should be said at the appropriate time in the play, Diction focuses on how lines are spoken, Melody is the blending of music in the play, and Spectacle is the look of the play. Any Character in a tragedy must be good somehow, must act according to their role, must be believable, and should act in character. Plot in a tragedy must have peripety (transformation to the exact opposite state) or discovery and the main character should bring pity and fear for himself by ending up in a horrible state. An evil deed must also occur to someone close to the hero.
Overall, the speaker takes a closer look into Aristotle's ideas of how to make a tragedy.
Good job, you are very specific with the six main elements. I too agree that the speaker finds tragedy to be focused on a serious issue.
DeleteIndeed, Aristotle's idea of tragedy simply seems to require a mix of heart-wrenching events combined with a depressing, melancholic atmosphere, and wordplay to make the events sound much more life-turning and for the main character easier to pity. Of course, this all has to fall under the suspension of disbelief, or it just won't work.
DeleteI read the first article, as it points out what the author had in mind for his play, and how it should be played. This is especially shown when Aristotle felt that even the four most insignificant things needed to be pulled off correctly to make the play a success. The first was Thought, or WHY does this person do this or act this way. The second was Diction, or How is it said, can it be said. The third is Melody, or what music best reflects this point in the story. The fourth and final was Spectacle, or how the set is staged, and how it accompanies the setting of the play. While these elements in the author's day may have been minor at the time, they have certainly grown to all be very important parts in all media.
ReplyDeleteThe third article gives you characteristics which you can uses to identify a hero. The author mentions ten important elements of a hero such as the hero's is not always clear to him, and the hero's way is filled with dangers, loneliness, and temptations and so on. The author also uses examples of heroes and they compare the heroes and shows how they relate to one another. The author shows how ordinary life is related to heroism by saying "The individual is on a quest from dependence to adulthood, to independence to death." The way that this relates to heroism is because the hero is always on a quest although this is a very generalized quest.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the First article, Aristotle's definition of Tragedy is, “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 katharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality—namely, Plot, Characters, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Melody". He believes a successful play needs to have these six main elements in order for a reader to identify the story's quality. Tragedy is the “imitation of an action” according to “the law of probability or necessity.” Plot is one of the first principles. Plays an important role in the story because, its the whole point of where the story takes place. Character has the second place in importance. Thought is third in importance, and is found where something is proved to be or not to be, or a general maxim is enunciated. Diction is the expression of the meaning in words which are proper and appropriate to the plot, characters, and end of the tragedy. Song is the musical element of the chorus. Spectacle is least connected with literature yet has a lot to do because, if your spectacle is successful than your ratings will be great.
ReplyDeleteAfter stealing the throne from his brother, Pelias tells Jason once he comes to reclaim his royalty that he has to get the golden fleece before the kingdom can be his. Because Jason showed up with one sandal, and Pelias had been warned that he would meet his demise by a man with one sandal, he was afraid and wanted to send Jason on a mission he knew he wouldn't come back from. With the help of Hera, Jason learns that King Etes has the golden fleece and tries to get it from him. King Etes tells him he needs to complete a nearly impossible task before he will be worthy of the fleece. Unfortunately, King Etes's daughter, Medea, had fallen in love with Jason and told him how to complete her father's difficult challenge. When Jason completes the task, and King Etes still refuses to give him the fleece, Medea decides to help him again. She leads Jason to the fleece, charms the man guarding it, and flees with Jason to Greece.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your summary because you told the story that the article did really well. Very interesting to read and short.
DeleteI also really liked the way you included the story in your summary. Full of description and informational content without run on sentences of confusion. Great Job!
DeleteI read background article 3. This article shows the characteristics commonly found in a hero. The article states that Heroes usually come from obscurity or tragedy, go on a quest or journey in which they face hardship, but with their own courage and help from others, the hero comes out a different and usually stronger person. This definition, and plot summary of the story arc of a hero relates to almost all of our popular stories in culture.
ReplyDeleteThe second article reveals basic information of the play Medea is derived from, retelling it through Jason's side of the experience. It describes a heroic, majestic story of Jason going through tumultuous perils and adventures to retrieve the Golden Fleece with his merry band of friends and subsequently, help his father get his kingdom back from the deemed enemy. Medea's role is mentioned slightly at the end, suggesting a less integral role. The background story contrasts towards Medea's side of the story, which laments how Medea is wronged by Jason, who is generally depicted a hero.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a hero? Well, according Background Article 3, there are ten solid characteristics that define hero. The first is that the origin of a hero is often obscure or unknown which adds a level of mysteriousness about the person.The second is that heroes are neither fools nor completely invincible, this meaning that most all heroes ave human-like qualities. Third is the common fact that heroes generally have a goal or quest. Fourth is that during a quest a hero must find his way or discover something. Fifth is that a heroes quest is set with trials such as fear, danger, or temptations so that the person may prove himself to be a "hero". Sixth is that heroes often have someone to accompany them in their journey (ex. Batman and Robin, Frodo and Sam). Seventh is that heroes often have a guide to help them. Eighth is that a hero undergoes some sort of change during his quest or journey. Ninth is that what a hero seeks is usually no more then a symbol for some knowledge or change he gains along the way. And tenth and last is that a hero is often male, though there are a few exceptions. These are the ten characteristics of a true hero.
ReplyDelete