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Ancient Greek
Drama
• Originated in Athens, Greece and reached it’s peak in the fifth century B.C. • Grew from ancient religious
rituals.
Greek Mythology
•Zeus •Apollo •Dionysus –
Dionysus
• Son of Zeus & a mortal woman
•Mother was killed while pregnant by Zeus‘s lightning bolt• Underwent resurrection – 2nd
birth from Zeus’s thigh
DionysusDionysus God of wine and fertility in nature God of common people Thought to liberate worshippers
from personal trouble
Dionysus was a suffering god
• Ceremonies were not compatible w/ Greek tradition
• Rapid movements of hands & body
• Hysterical screaming • Cycle of lamenting
and rejoicing
Dionysus’s teachings went against Apollo’s teachings of restraint.
Apollo’s follows believed in “Nothing too much” and
“Know thyself”
•Often the worship of Dionysus was forbidden•More women worshippers
than men
A Suffering God
• Dionysus was believed to have undergone death and resurrection
• Religious ceremony mirrored this
• Lamenting mirrored god’s death•Rejoicing with wild dancing and
singing mirrored god’s resurrection•Often involved animal sacrifices
• Service served as a social safety valve •After service
worshippers left with peace of mind •Was a type of
catharsis
Dithyrambs• Choral lyric poems in honor of Dionysus• Sung while dancing around altar • Performed by 50 men dressed in goat skins (sacred animals of the gods)
Dithyrambs–Later evolved into what we see as chorus–Goats later awarded as prizes in tragedy festivals
Dithyrambs• Tragedy = goat song
(tragoidia) • Men represented
satyrs (Dionysus’s companions
Dithyrambs evolved
•Became poetic in form • Included stories of gods and heroes
• Arion (writer) was the 1st to write dithyramb as literature in poetic form
Choragos
• The leader of the chorus filled in the intervals between portions of lyric poems with stories of Dionysus
Peisistratus
• Ruler of Athens• 6th Century B.C. • Gave official recognition to
tragedy• Festival instituted
Thespis
Introduced first actor Hypokrites - answerer Performed between dances of the
chorus Would take several roles – change
costumes many times - wore maskConversed w/ leader of chorus
Thespis• The “Father of Drama” was born in Attica,
and was the first prize winner at the Great Dionysia in 534 BC.
• He was an important innovator for the theatre, since he introduced such things as the independent actor, as opposed to the choir, as well as masks, make up and costumes.
Aeschylus added the second actor
• With this addition, drama was born • Possibility of
conflict • Chorus was reduced
to 12
Sophocles
• Added 3rd actor • Stabilized chorus at 15 • Introduced painted sets
Sophocles
• Prominent citizen of Athens• Generally considered the greatest of
ancient Greek playwrights• Known for musical, poetic, and dramatic
talents• General, political leader,
priest
Career spanned 62 years
• At age of 17, was leader of the chorus• At age of 28, won prize and defeated leading
playwright of the day• Wrote 120+ plays• Won 1st place 24 times for 72 plays• Never won less that 2nd prize (7 times)• Names of nearly 100 plays known today• Seven complete plays survive today
Contributions
• Added the third actor• Fixed the number of chorus members to 15• Introduced painted scenery• Made each play of trilogy separate in nature• Wrote Oedipus (430 B.C.), Oedipus at Colonus
(405 B.C.) and Antigone (440 B.C.)• Plays always contain a moral lesson – usually a
caution against pride
Production of the plays
Tragedy as an art form
• Reached its height in 5th century B.C.• Tragedies presented at Tragedy Festivals• Originally presented in honor of god Dionysus
City Dionysia - Festival
•Most important of 3 annual festivals • Plays produced by state • 5 days in March/April
Festival Structure • DAY 1• Grand procession w/ statue of
Dionysus carried to the theatre – sacred parade
• A herald would announce the competing plays
• DAYS 2 & 3 - 5 Dithyrambs – Men & 5 Dithyrambs – Boys
Festival Schedule
DAYS 4 - 6 Drama contest Each playwright presented three tragedies - & 1 satyr play (ridicule gods or heroes)
Later a comedy also presentedOnly 3 playwrights participated
Actors were chosen by state earlier in the year
Public businesses suspended Prisoners released on bail 14,000 spectators Attendance mandatory – religious
obligationCitizens often required to
participate in productions
Spectators • Men and women were
segregated • Originally free • When trouble over seats – fee
charged • State provided fund for those
who couldn’t pay.
Playwright’s ResponsibilitiesWrote plays Composed music Directed Supervised rehearsals Acted Assigned actors, chorus, musicians, etc.
Costs paid by wealthy citizens (honor)
Was considered a public service
Required as a special tax on wealthy
Shared praise
PrizesWreaths,Crowns of ivy
Bull, GoatName carved in marble
judges•10 – 20 judges were chosen by government •Elaborate precautions to prevent corruption
Thespis •Winner
of the first
contest
Other winners
•Aeschylus •Sophocles •Euripides
Theater
Actors and Acting
Hypocrites (answerer)• Never more than
three actors in a performance•All male performers
Costumes and Masks
• Long flowing robes• Colored
symbolically• Often padded to
add stature• High boots with
raised soles• Props carried to
identify roles
Larger Than Life Masks
• Made of linen, wood, cork• Made with human
or animal hair• Exaggerated
features – large eyes and open mouth
Masks continued• Used to inspire audience (larger than
mortals)• Hid actor’s face from gods as they
impersonated them• Acted as megaphone to amplify voices• Identified age, gender and rank of
character• Called a “persona”• Choir masks much simpler
Chorus
Ideal Spectator
Passage of time or transition between scenes
Entertains
Gives background information
Introduces & questions new
characters
Points out significance of events
Gives advice Identifies
themes
Conventions of Tragedy
• Unities of time, place, action• Techniques of stichomythia, strophe,
antistrophe, epode, and in media res• Messenger who tells happenings
offstage and reports acts of violence (never allowed on stage
Conventions continued
• No violence on stage• The action always takes place outdoors• There were limitations of the theater–No intermission–No lighting, no curtain–Myths were already known to audience –
playwright had to rely on dramatic irony
Structure of tragedy
• Prologue • Parados • Episodes • Stasimon • Paean• Exodus
Prologue
•Opening scene •Background of story is established •Single actor
Episodes
Counterparts of Acts4 – 8 in a tragedy
(known as scenes in our translation)
Stasimon•Choral ode at the end of each episode •Originally a poem written to be sung•Serves to separate the scenes since no
curtains were present: provides the chorus’ response to the preceding
scene
Paean
• A choral hymn in praise of a god• In Antigone praise to Dionysus,
in whose honor the Greeks presented their plays
Exodus
Exit of Chorus and Actors
Definition of Tragedy• Defined by Aristotle in 335 BC in Poetics• Told to arouse emotions of pity and fear in audience – Pity because the tragic hero is not an evil man –
punishment is too great– Fear because of the possibility of error in ourselves
• Produces catharsis in audience (new understanding of gods and man)
• Produces catharsis in audience – come away with new understanding of gods and man
• Tells story of downfall (catastrophe) of tragic hero• Order is restored in the end of the play
Tragic Hero
• Noble • Powerful & respected • Tempts fate • Has a tragic flaw in personality (usually pride)• Brings extraordinary amounts of sorrow and
suffering on himself• Undergoes a reversal of fortune • Has a moment of self awareness • Dies or wishes to be dead in the end of the
play
Basic Concepts of Greek Culture
• Believed every person’s life ruled by predetermined fate – a natural force set in motion by the gods and one that could not be altered
• Believed every person’s fate held in store a personal allotment of unavoidable misery
• Believed man possessed a certain freedom of will and action and could live out his life with dignity, bringing upon himself no more than his allotted share of grief
Basic concepts of Greek Culture continued
• Believed man was inferior to the gods because he was mortal and fallible
• Believed man was to be punished if he defied the gods