Apollonian and Dionysian Forces in The Oresteia by Aeschylus Peer Editing: Wednesday, January 22 Due Date: Friday, January 24 (Upload to Turnitn.com by 11:59 p.m.) What is meant by Apollonian and Dionysian? Apollonian and Dionysian are terms used by Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy to designate the two central principles in Greek culture. The Apollonian, which corresponds to Schopenhauer's principium individuationis (“principle of individuation”), is the basis of all analytic distinctions. Everything that is part of the unique individuality of man or thing is Apollonian in character; all types of form or structure are Apollonian, since form serves to define or individualize that which is formed; thus, sculpture is the most Apollonian of the arts, since it relies entirely on form for its effect. Rational thought is also Apollonian since it is structured and makes distinctions. The Dionysian, which corresponds roughly to Schopenhauer's conception of Will, is directly opposed to the Apollonian. Drunkenness and madness are Dionysian because they break down a person’s individual character; all forms of enthusiasm, ecstasy and frenzy are Dionysian, for in such states man gives up his individuality and submerges himself in a greater whole: music is the most Dionysian of the arts, since it appeals directly to man's instinctive, chaotic emotions and not to his formally reasoning mind. Nietzsche believed that both forces were present in Greek tragedy, and that the true tragedy could only be produced by the tension between them. He used the names Apollonian and Dionysian for the two forces because Apollo, as the sun-god, represents light, clarity, and form, whereas Dionysus, as the wine-god, represents drunkenness and ecstasy. -- Steven Kreis, from his lecture “Nietzsche, Freud and the Thrust Toward Modernism” Do note, however, that Nietzsche does not prefer Apollo over Dionysus, but rather advocates for a balance between the two forces: Nietzsche, having absorbed the Schopenhauerian view that non-rational forces reside at the foundation of all creativity and of reality itself, identifies a strongly instinctual, wild, amoral, “Dionysian” energy within pre-Socratic Greek culture as an essentially creative and healthy force. Surveying the history of Western culture since the time of the Greeks, Nietzsche laments over how this Dionysian, creative energy had been submerged and weakened as it became overshadowed by the “Apollonian” forces of logical order and stiff sobriety. He concludes that European culture since the time of Socrates has remained one-sidedly Apollonian, bottled-up, and relatively unhealthy. -- Robert Wikes, from his essay on Friedrich Nietzsche in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Your Task: Part 1: The Oresteia For this part of your assignment, you will write an analytic paragraph that addresses the following questions: • How does The Oresteia present these two forces? • Does one force prevail in the end? Explain. You must incorporate at least two distinct pieces of textual evidence from The Oresteia. Note that this section will be comprised of a single, well-constructed analytic paragraph. Your in-text citations will look like this: (Play title line #) For Example: (Agamemnon 487) Do not forget slashes to denote line breaks. Part 2: The Youastuya For this part of your assignment, you will write a personal, reflective piece that explains how these two forces manifest themselves in you. Please limit this section to 500 words.

Apollonian and Dionysian Forces in The Oresteia by Aeschylus

Peer Editing: Wednesday, January 22

Due Date: Friday, January 24 (Upload to Turnitn.com by 11:59 p.m.)

What is meant by Apollonian and Dionysian?

Apollonian and Dionysian are terms used by Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy to designate the two central principles in Greek culture. The Apollonian, which corresponds to Schopenhauer's principium individuationis (“principle of individuation”), is the basis of all analytic distinctions. Everything that is part of the unique individuality of man or thing is Apollonian in character; all types of form or structure are Apollonian, since form serves to define or individualize that which is formed; thus, sculpture is the most Apollonian of the arts, since it relies entirely on form for its effect. Rational thought is also Apollonian since it is structured and makes distinctions.

The Dionysian, which corresponds roughly to Schopenhauer's conception of Will, is directly opposed to the Apollonian. Drunkenness and madness are Dionysian because they break down a person’s individual character; all forms of enthusiasm, ecstasy and frenzy are Dionysian, for in such states man gives up his individuality and submerges himself in a greater whole: music is the most Dionysian of the arts, since it appeals directly to man's instinctive, chaotic emotions and not to his formally reasoning mind.

Nietzsche believed that both forces were present in Greek tragedy, and that the true tragedy could only be produced by the tension between them. He used the names Apollonian and Dionysian for the two forces because Apollo, as the sun-god, represents light, clarity, and form, whereas Dionysus, as the wine-god, represents drunkenness and ecstasy.

-- Steven Kreis, from his lecture “Nietzsche, Freud and the Thrust Toward Modernism”

Do note, however, that Nietzsche does not prefer Apollo over Dionysus, but rather advocates for a balance between the two forces:

Nietzsche, having absorbed the Schopenhauerian view that non-rational forces reside at the foundation of all creativity and of reality itself, identifies a strongly instinctual, wild, amoral, “Dionysian” energy within pre-Socratic Greek culture as an essentially creative and healthy force. Surveying the history of Western culture since the time of the Greeks, Nietzsche laments over how this Dionysian, creative energy had been submerged and weakened as it became overshadowed by the “Apollonian” forces of logical order and stiff sobriety. He concludes that European culture since the time of Socrates has remained one-sidedly Apollonian, bottled-up, and relatively unhealthy.

-- Robert Wikes, from his essay on Friedrich Nietzsche in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Your Task:

Part 1: The Oresteia

For this part of your assignment, you will write an analytic paragraph that addresses the following questions:

•How does The Oresteia present these two forces?

•Does one force prevail in the end? Explain.

You must incorporate at least two distinct pieces of textual evidence from The Oresteia.

Note that this section will be comprised of a single, well-constructed analytic paragraph.

Your in-text citations will look like this: (Play title line #) For Example: (Agamemnon 487)

Do not forget slashes to denote line breaks.

Part 2: The Youastuya

For this part of your assignment, you will write a personal, reflective piece that explains how these two forces manifest themselves in you. Please limit this section to 500 words.