Theatre of Ancient Greece

6th Century BCE

Why did theatre begin?

The need to imitate and tell stories The need to worship

– Dionysus was the Greek god of fertility. He was the son of Zeus and Semele (a mortal).

– According to legend, he was killed and then resurrected and so his life is related to the cycle of birth, maturation, death, and re-birth (the four seasons).

– He is worshipped to ensure the return of spring.

How Dionysus was worshipped

Dithyrambs were hymns that related episodes from the life of Dionysus.– They were performed by 50 men led by a priest

—the chorus– Later, this chorus dressed as satyrs—creatures

that were half man and half goat– The worship became known as the “goat song”

(tragoedia) from which we get our word tragedy

The Festivals of Dionysus

There were three festivals at which drama developed in the city of Athens

– City Dionysia—March

– Lenaia—January

– Rural Dionysia—December

City Dionysia

10 dithyrambs were presented each year Following the dithyrambs, there were 3

days of plays– Tragedies– Comedies– Satyr plays

• Satyr plays had a comic tone and were a spoof on a Greek myth

• This is where we get the word “satire”

The first actor

Thespis was the first actor.– This is where we

get our word “thespian” (as in the International Thespian Society) which means “actor”

He stepped out of the chorus in 534BCE and spoke dialogue

We know this because he won the first award for acting that year.

There was no conflict because the single actor played many parts using masks.

Greek playwrights

Aeschylus (525-456BCE)– He added the second actor.

– He is regarded as the father or founder of Western drama

Sophocles (496-406BCE)– Added the third actor

– Reduced the chorus from 50 to 12

– Developed the “tragic flaw”

– Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Oedipus at Colonus

Greek playwrights continued

Euripedes (480-406BCE)– Dealt with the inner conflict of good and evil– The Trojan Women

Aristophanes (448-380BCE)– “Old comedy”– Lysistrata, The Clouds, The Birds

Menander (342-292BCE)– “New comedy”– Wrote about middle class citizens

Greek Theatre Architecture

Orchestra—the “dancing place,” circular, at the base of a hill with seating terraced up the hillside

Thymele—an altar to Dionysus located at the center of the orchestra

More Greek Theatre Architecture

Skene—scenehouse, used as a dressing room and eventually in the action, had one or more doors and was two stories for the appearance of gods

More Greek Theatre Architecture

Theatron—the “seeing place,” the auditorium– Originally, patrons stood.– Then, wooden seating.– Then stone seating.

Paradoi—entrances to the orchestra at either end of the skene used by the chorus, actors, and spectators

Costumes and Masks

Chiton—an embroidered robe or tunic

Kothornos—soft shoe or boot reaching to the calf with a thick sole to add height

Onkos—a high headdress

All actors and the chorus wore masks that covered the entire head.

In comedies, the masks had exaggerated features.

Set pieces

Ekkyklema—a platform on wheels that could be rolled out with a body on it to show or explain an offstage death

Pinakes—painted panels similar to today’s flat, false walls

Set pieces continued

Periaktoi—a triangular prism with a different scene painted on each side that was rotated to show a change in location

Machina—a mechanical crane used to lower gods. Deus ex machina means “god from the machine” and was when a god was lowered down to solve all the problems.

A Greek Critic

Aristotle—Greek, wrote Poetics.– The 3 unities

• Time—24 hours

• Place—1 place or more than 1 with less than a 24 hour travel

• Action—1 plot and no subplots

– The 6 parts of drama• Plot (story), character (people), thought (theme),

diction (language), music (sound), spectacle (costume, setting, props, etc)