Greek

Excerpt from "Ancient Art & Ritual"

Probably most people who go to a Greek play for the first time think it is a strange performance. Depending on their character and interests, they are either very much excited or very much bored. In many minds there will be left a wondering feeling of whether they have enjoyed the play or not. They are puzzled.

For example, the main deed of the Greek Tragedy is the slaying of the hero or heroine, and it is not done on the stage. That disappoints some modern minds who demand realism to the point of horror. Instead of a thrilling murder before his very eyes, the spectator is put off with an account of the murder done off the stage. This account is usually given at considerable length in a “messenger’s speech.” The messenger’s speech is a regular item in a Greek play, and actually is a moment of fine language and dramatic effect. But we somehow feel it is undramatic, and a modern actor is forced to create a ruckus to make it acceptable.

The spectator is told that all these odd practices are due to Greek restraint, moderation, and good taste. Yet for all their supposed restraint and reserve, the Greek heroes will burst into floods of tears at times when a self-respecting Englishman would have suffered in silence.

Then, the play doesn’t end with a “curtain” moment of great excitement, but rather with the appearance of a god who says a few lines and seems rather stiff and formal, and somehow unsatisfying. Worse still, there are many scenes with such long dialogues, and the action doesn’t advance as quickly as we’d like.

Or again, instead of beginning with the action and getting us excited, at the beginning someone comes in and tells us the whole storyline in the prologue. Prologues we feel, are out of date, and the Greeks ought to have known better. Of course, we admit that tragedy must be tragic, and we are prepared for a decent amount of crying. But when the sadness goes on for pages, we grow tired and wish that the chorus would stop lamenting and do something.

Reading Comprehension Questions

1) Which of the following phrases best represents the main idea of the passage?

a. Some elements of a Greek play now seem confusing and boring.

b. There is no art form that is more sophisticated than a Greek play.

c. Most Greek plays were carelessly written and poorly performed.

d. It is impossible to go to a Greek play for the first time and not enjoy it.

2) Which of the following best describes the author’s tone in the passage?

a. thrilled

b. critical

c. nervous

d. gloomy

3) The 2^nd paragraph of the above passage refers to a "messenger's speech." Based on the context, this is best defined as which of the following?

a. a dialogue

b. a prologue

c. a monologue

d. a conflict

4) The final paragraph of the above passage discusses a "prologue." Based on the context, a "prologue" is which of the following?

a. a finale

b. an introduction

c. an intermission

d. a climax

5) Which of the following lines from the above passage is the best example of author’s bias?

a. “Prologues we feel, are out of date, and the Greeks ought to have known better.”

b. “The main deed of the Greek Tragedy is the slaying of the hero or heroine...”

c. “This account is usually given at considerable length in a 'messenger’s speech.' "

a. "The spectator is told that all these odd practices are due to Greek restraint, moderation, and good taste."

6) At the end of the 2^nd paragraph in the above passage, the author states that an actor must "create a ruckus." Which of the following words would work well to replace the word “ruckus”?

a. tranquility

b. serenity

c. commotion

d. coolness

Answer Key