comedy/tragedy

Greek Learning Greek
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[quote author=Emma_85 link=board=2;threadid=605;start=0#5473 date=1062940504]
but I can’t find out where the trag bit comes from :frowning:.
[/quote]
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I’ve just searched the dictionary and it seems to come from [size=150]τρᾰγοv

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Thanks
It said something like that in my dictionary, but I couldn’t actually believe that was what it was.
Now… does anyone have any idea what so ever, why this is? It seems a bit strange to me :-.
We’re just reading Antigone at school in German lessons, and our teacher told us to find out as much as we can about ancient comedies and tragedies, so I thought I’d start with the original meaning of the words.

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Hi,

It seems that tragedy has its origins in songs sung in honor of Dionysos. Such songs were called ‘dithyrambs’. The singers, playing the part of satyrs, were dressed in goat skins. Hence ‘goat songs’.

Cordially,

Paul

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Cool, thanks! :smiley:

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From Harper’s Dictionary of Antiquities:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062&query=head%3D%2311088


Tragoedia
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Thanks ;D!
I didn’t know that there was a Dictionary of Antiquities at Perseus. I think I really should take my time to look around that site, seems to have many usefull thing there… when I first found out about Perseus I found the site very confusing though.

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I just love Perseus… ;D

By the way: you can find similar information in the Gemoll… :slight_smile:

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I never thought of using my Gemoll … thanks for the tip! :slight_smile:

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Hi there,

The etymologie of trag/wdia and kwm/wdia :
They both end with wdia
Wdia comes from Wdw wich means ‘I sing’
Tragos is the goat like a friend said before and Kwmws means entertainment.

Poets Like Aischilos and Sofoklis usually competed presenting tetralogies at the Athenean people.
Two tragedies (tragwdies), a satyr and a comedie (kwmwdia) in the end to lighten up the heavy mood of the tragedies.
All these types were included in what we call Drama from the greek verb dratw wich means I act.

Hope I offered more help than confiousion as English is not my native lang.

Take Care,

Yorgos

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[quote author=Bert de Haan link=board=2;threadid=605;start=0#5953 date=1063408227]
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