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Greek Theatre
Greek History
2500 - 500 BC
2500 BCWhose got the power?
Egypt
Near East
Where’s the Greece?
?
Minoan civilization
Most prevalent in the Aegean Area
Lived on the Isle of Crete
1400 BC - MAJOR EARTHQUAKE destroys Crete cities
Focus moves North to Mainland of Greece
Culture greatly influences cities of Mycenae and Troy
1100 BC
DARK AGES
1100 - 800 BC
The Dawn of Greek Civilization
800 BC - 500 BC
Greek Civilization Begins to Take Shape
polis
“City State”
ImportantGreek Cities
Attica (Athens)CorinthSpartaThebes
City state factsOriginally ruled by KingsAfter 800 BC Nobles began to acquire considerable power and controlThese “tyrants” did much to improve social conditions and promote the artsPeisistratus dominated Athens from 560-510 BC
Established numerous festivals including the Festival of Dionysia
By the late 6th Century BC Greeks grew weary of tyrants and prevent them from gaining power
508 BC
Greece creates the world’s first…
508 BC
democracy
Greek Theatre
The origins of Comedy & Tragedy
700 BC
GREEKS LEARN TO
WRITE
WRITTEN records increase but those
relating to the Theatre were rare
until 534 BC
534 BCAthens institutes a contest for the best
tragedy at the City of Dionysis (a Major Religious Festival)
Thespisis credited with
the first win
Therefore,Most scholars
consider him the inventor of
drama
TragedyTaken from the Greek …
Goat Song
Aristotle saidTragedy evolved
out of the improvisations by the leader of
the
dithyrambs
What’s a dithyramb?
It was the hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysis, the greek god of wine and
fertility
Greek Theatre
Comedy
Origins of comedyFrom the Greek word KOMOS
Based on religious ceremonies connected with fertility rites
Actors wore grotesque costumes and performed using wild gestures
Around 570 BC these actions become organized
Susaron believed to have written the first comedy
Styles of Comedy
Old Comedy
Middle Comedy
New Comedy
Structure of Comedy
Old Comedy (570 - 404)
“HAPPY IDEA”The
The Happy Idea
Usually wild and impractical
The chorus enters and debates the Happy Idea which includes a direct address to the audience of the views of the playwright
A series of farcical scenes attempting to implement the happy idea which usually concludes with some merrymaking
Middle Comedy(404 - 321)
Development connected to the downfall of Athens during the Peloponnesian WarChorus has a lesser rolePolitical commentary removedStories and characters become somewhat uniformNo scipts of this time period remain
New ComedyAppears during the last quarter of the 4th CenturyComic form most copied by the RomansStructure closely resembles the structure of modern plays (5 Act Structure)Characters drawn from contemporary AthensLast form of theatre to emerge from Athens shows the cynicism prevalent after the city’s decline
Satyr playEntered into the Dionysian Festival around 500 BCAccompanied the trilogyWritten as pure entertainment usually mocking the theme of the previous playsThe chorus was portrayed as SatyrsVery little is known about this form of Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre
The Playwrights
Tragedy in the 5th Century
What we know about Greek Tragedy is based solely on three playwrights
They are representative of other playwrights
However from over a 1,000 plays written during that time period, only 31 still exist
The Tragic Playwrights
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Aeschylus (523 - 456)Oldest of surviving Greek PlaywrightsThought to have written 80 plays, only 7 survive including the Oresteia trilogy (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides)Introduced the Second actorThe most “theatrical” of the tragedians
Sophocles (496 - 406)Wrote over 120 plays, 7 survived including Antigone, Electra, and Oedipus Rex
Won 24 Dionysian festivals, never lower than 2nd
Introduced the 3rd actor, after Aeschylus used 3
No elaborate visual effects, placed increased emphasis on the individual character
Considered the most skillful of all the Greek tragedians
Euripides (480 - 406)Wrote about 90 plays, 18 survived including Medea, The Trojan Women, and Orestes
Popular in later cultures but not during his lifetime because his plays were thought unsuitable for the stage & too undignified for tragedy
Badly written, compared to Sophocles & Aeschylus
Use of melodrama and sentimentality were signs of what was to come in the 4th Century
The Comic Playwrights
Aristophanes
&
Menander
Aristophanes (448 - 380)What we know of Old Comedy comes from his writingsWrote 40 plays 11 survive including Frogs, Lysistrata, & BirdsCharacters come from all classes of Athenians commenting on contemporary society, politics, literature, & warWith Athen’s defeat by Sparta, his style of writing becomes less popular
Menander (342 - 292)Playwright of the New Comedy Period
Wrote about 100 plays 11 exist
Grew up in Macedonian controlled Athens
Chorus no longer important - group of performers who appear between scenes (5 Act Structure)
Stock characters taken from everyday life in contemporary dress - not mythic
Not considered great playwright but works influenced Roman playwrights Plautus & Terence
Modern Theatre can trace its roots to Menander
THE END
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