Transcript GREEK THEATRE

GREEK THEATRE
THE BIRTHPLACE OF
WESTERN DRAMA
FESTIVALS OF
DIONYSUS
In honor of the god of Wine and
Fertility
 Myths relate to seasonal growing
cycles and passions of Man
 Purpose of worship was
inducement of fertility
 8th-7th Century B.C.--contests of
choral dancing held at many
festivals ; “dithyrambs”

DITHYRAMB
“Ecstatic Hymn”
A RELIGIOUS CHANT OR SONG
PERFORMED IN RYTHYM AND
WITH DANCING
First Definite Record of Drama in
Greece: 534 B.C.
 “City
Dionysia” (late
March) reorganized
 Contest for Best Tragedy
instituted
 Winner of first contest is
Thespis, who also acted in
the performance
 Actors today are known as
“Thespians”, in honor of the
first known Greek actor.
“HYPOKRITE”
GREEK WORD FOR ACTOR,
MEANS “WEARER OF MASKS”
“CHORAGUS”
 A wealthy
patron, wishing to honor the
gods, pays for the cost of a production
 Precursor to the “Producer”
GREEK THEATRE
STRUCTURES
“Amphitheatres”
 Built onto hillsides
 Originally temporary
wooden structures,
later made of stone
 Were considered a
form of temple
 Some held up to
20,000 spectators

Parts of a Greek Theatre
ORKESTRA: circular
acting space at center,
translates as “dancing
place”
 THYMELE: Altar stone at
center of orkestra
 TEATRON: Spectator
seating; “seeing place”
 SKENE: Stage building
behind orkestra; where we
get the words “scene” and
“scenery”

Parts of a Greek Theatre
PARADOS/PARADOI: entry
ramps for the chorus between
the Teatron and Skene; where
we get the word “parade”
 PERIAKTOI: Three-sided
turnable column used as a
scenic device, placed in space
between columns of skene
 MACHINA: Crane-like device
used to suspend celestial figures
above the action; “deus ex
machina” means “god from the
machine”

SKENE
STAGE HOUSE:
provides scenic
background, a place to
change costumes,
place to exit
 Had one to three doors
 May have been raised
up off ground level
 Developed a second
story in later years

Side View: Orkestra and Teatron
Orkestra with Thymele, Skene
Teatron
AUDITORIUM
“The Hearing Place”
Includes Orkestra and Teatron
Seating for the Priests
The Head Priest’s Chair
GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS
 Only
5 playwrights and 45 plays survive
 According to Aristotle, drama developed
out of improvisation by the leaders of the
dithyrambs
 Early “plays”, such as those by Thespis,
were no more than a discourse between one
actor (“Protagonist”) and the chorus.
 In later years, playwrights wrote 3
Tragedies and one Satyr Play for the
contests at the City Dionysia
AESCHYLUS: 525-456 B.C.
Tragic Playwright,
Introduced Second Actor,
“Deuteragonist”
 Encouraged face-to-face
conflict between characters
 reduced importance of
chorus, size from 50 to @15
 Wrote AGAMEMMNON and
PROMETHEUS BOUND

SOPHOCLES: 496-406 B.C.
Considered greatest Greek
dramatist, wrote tragedies
 Created Third Actor
 More concerned with
human relationships than
religious issues
 Wrote OEDIPUS THE
KING and ANTIGONE

EURIPIDES: 480-406 B.C.
Last of great Greek
Tragic playwrights
 Reduced chorus to
relatively unimportant
role
 Treated Gods with lack
of awe
 Wrote MEDEA and THE
TROJAN WOMEN

ARISTOPHANES: 450-385 B.C.
Comic Playwright,
“Old Comedy”,
discusses “happy idea”
 Wrote LYSISTRATA,
an anti-war comedy

MENANDER: 342-292 B.C.
 Comic
playwright, “New Comedy”
 More secular-based, often a comedy of
“manners”
 Copied by the Romans, more like a
“sitcom”
 Wrote ARBITRATION and
DYSCOLUS
(“The Old Grouch”)
GREEK TRAGEDIES
 General
pattern developed by Aeschylus
 PROLOGOS: establishes dramatic situation
 PARODOS: Entrance of Chorus, “exposition”
 EPEISODA: main action, equivalent of an “Act”
 STASIMA: Choral interlude, makes comment on
the action in the Epeisoda
 Climax occurs in last Epeisoda, so that last
Stasima allows final comment by the chorus
 EXODOS: Final summation and exit of Chorus