Agon logon rhesis – a “contest of speeches.”
Anagnorisis – ‘recognition,’ the point at which the protagonist realises his doom.
Anapaest – sometimes referred to as ‘marching’ anapaests. Rhythmic meter something between full lyric and full dialogue. Probably chanted.
Antilabe – the breaking of a line between two speakers.
Antistrophe – ‘reverse turn,’ or ‘turns in the other direction.’
Catastrophe – ‘kata,’ ‘strophe’ – ‘downwards,’ ‘turn,’ of fortune, tragic denouement.
Catharsis – purgation of pity and fear brought about in an audience viewing a tragedy.
Choregos – producer.
Dionysus – pastoral harvest god often represented with bull or goat’s horns. More particularly the god of wine and creative inspiration (dancing, singing, eloquence). Patron god of tragedy.
Dithyrambic choruses – early form of tragedy sung by a chorus in tribute to Dionysus. (Records show that the poet Arion was writing these as early as c.625BC.)
Drama – ‘action,’ or as Aristotle says ‘the imitation of an action.’
Dran – vb. ‘to do.’
Ekkyklema – literally ‘a wheeled-out thing.’ Probably some form of platform on wheels rolled out through a door in the skene to expose or reveal a murdered, or incapacitated character, and to represent the exposure of an inner-space.
Epiparodos – ‘additional parados’ sung by the chorus if (as rarely happens) they have left the stage as they re-enter along the paradoi.
Episode – main dialogue section of play. The entrance of an actor often initiates an episode. There are usually four episodes in a Greek play.
Epode – ‘added song.’
Exodos – sung by the chorus as they leave the orchestra along the paradoi after the final episode and its accompanying stasimon.
Greater Dionysia – festival where the Greek tragedies were performed in honour of the god Dionysus, founded by Pisistratus at Athens c.540-527
Iambic trimeters – verses based on a twelve-syllable pattern comprised of three iambic metra.
Kerkides – wedge-shaped sections of the theatron.
Koryphaios – chorus leader.
Lyrical Tragedy – early tragedy with a chorus and only one actor.
Mechane – literally, the ‘machine.’ Probably some form of crane or swing used for hoisting characters in the air to represent flight. Hence the Latin term ‘deus ex machina,’ ‘god in the machine.’
Middle Tragedy – tragedy with a chorus and three actors, exemplified by the work of Sophocles who is credited with the introduction of the practice of using a third actor.
Mimesis – imitation, or mimicry.
New Tragedy – exemplified by the work of Euripides.
Old Tragedy – tragedy with a chorus and two actors. Exemplified by the work of Aeschylus, who is credited with the introduction of the practice of using a second actor.
Orchestra – central circular or semi-circular space in which the chorus danced. At its centre there was a sacrificial altar.Pathos – ‘suffering.’
Parodos – passageway on either side leading into the orchestra along which the chorus and the actors make their entrance. It is also the name given to the song chanted by the chorus as they enter at the beginning of the play. (pl. parodoi)
Peripeteia – ‘reversal,’ the moment in a tragedy where the exact opposite of what the protagonist is trying to achieve happens.
Prohedria – ‘front-seating,’ or first row of seats reserved for honoured audience members.
Prologue – introductory scene that precedes the parados.
Protagonist – ‘first competitor,’ or ‘first actor.’ Now used to mean main character. The second and third actors were referred to as deuteragonist and tritagonist.
Rhesis – extended speech, most often in trimeters.
Skene – literally meaning ‘tent’, it refers to the stage building, or façade in front of which plays were performed.
Stasimon – extended song of the chorus. These stasima are generally comprised of strophes and antistrophes, and sometimes an epode. There are usually four stasima in a Greek play.
Stichomythia – line-for-line dialogue, that is when actors alternate lines.
Strophe – turn.
Theasthai – vb. ‘to view as a spectator.’
Theatron – ‘viewing area,’ from where the audience viewed the drama.
Thespian – actor, deriving from the name of the first actor Thespis c. 536-533.
Tragedy – from ‘tragos ode,’ meaning ‘goat’s song.’
Trochaic tetrameters – fifteen-syllable pattern comprised of four trochaic metra, but with the last one shortened.
