Greek Tragedy for Kindergarteners

Greek Tragedy for Kindergarteners

     Greek Tragedy is one of the earliest forms of theatre plays, it took place in ancient Greece, more than 2,000 years ago. As one of the earliest forms of theatre, it has had and still has a huge impact in theatre and drama today, even in cartoons and soap operas!

     What makes us, spectators, like to watch Greek Tragedy is that we can relate with the characters, we can feel what they are feeling. A “Hero” in Greek Tragedy isn’t a perfect human, he/she has flaws and makes mistakes like any one of us, like you and like me.

     Some of the important vocabulary words in Greek Tragedy are:

• Hubris: It occurs when a character is too arrogant, he is too confident in his abilities, and this causes his loss or downfall. For example, I say that I’m the best soccer player of the whole grade, but then one of my friends “me tira un caño” and then scores on me.
• Hamartia: It occurs when the hero commits a mistake unintentionally and this leads to his loss. For example, if I try to pass a pencil to one of my friends but when I throw it I hit him in the head and hurt him. I had good intentions, but the result was bad.
• Reversal: It happens when everything seems to go one way, but then quickly changes to the opposite way. For example, my team of soccer in lunch is winning by 2 goals, but then the other team scores 3 goals in the last minute and wins the game.
• Recognition: It occurs when the hero suddenly realizes of a love or hate bond with another character. For example, I get angry with my best friend but then I realize how much I love him/her, and apologize.
• Catharsis: It happens when the hero lets his emotions free and openly talks about them, it serves as a way to feel better and more relaxed with oneself. For example, if I think I made a mistake in the last exercise of the quiz, I discuss it with a classmate and this makes me feel better.