Introduction to Greek Drama: Origins

• The drama of Ancient Greece and Rome is called classical drama.

• It started in Athens from religious celebrations in honor of Dionysus.

• It involved ritual chants and songs performed by a group called a chorus. This evolved into dialogue, which turned into theatre.

Introduction to Greek Theatre: the Theater

• Plays were attended by thousands, performed outdoors during the day in a theater with seats built into a hillside (imagine an amphitheater).

• A long building, called the skene, served as a backdrop for the action and as a dressing room. A spacious floor, the orchestra, was located between the skene and the audience, who sat in the theatron.

Introduction to Greek Theatre: Actors and Chorus

• Actors were all men and wore huge masks, elevated shoes, and elegant robes.

• The chorus was a group of about 15 that commented on the action. The leader of the chorus is the choragus.

Introduction to Greek Theatre: Structure

• Prologue: Gives background necessary for understanding the play

• Parodos: Song sung by the Chorus as it first enters

• Choral Odes: Spoken in unison by the chorus. They provide historical references and moral reflection on the action in the scene.

• Exodos: The end of the play, where the tragic hero’s self-realization usually occurs

Introduction to Greek Theatre: Tragedy and Tragic Hero

• A tragedy is a drama that recounts the downfall of a dignified, superior character. It ends in a catastrophe, a disastrous conclusion that involves multiple deaths.

• The character whose downfall the play recounts is called the tragic hero.

Introduction to Greek Theatre: Tragic Hero

• The tragic hero was first defined by the Greek philosopher Artistotle. A tragic hero must have most of the following qualities:

• A person of noble or high status who has a mixture of good and bad in his personality.

• He has a tragic flaw, or hamartia, which leads to his downfall.

• He usually goes on a journey or participates in a quest.• He has a large capacity for suffering.• His downfall is often preceded by self-realization.