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Cult of Dionysus
Maenad
Satyr
Dionysus
•Greek theatres developed over time
•Every seat had a decent view
•Most were situated overlooking scenic views
•Every Greek polis (city state) had one
•Always used for dramatic performances
•Sometimes used for democratic assemblies
•All eventually made of stone
•Acoustically constructed so that a whisper could
be heard in every seat
•Orchestra: circular space where the chorus stood
in front of the main action on the stage
•Skene: Originally a tent it became the stage on
which the principal actors stood
Theatre of Dionysus:
Athens
Theatre at Epidaurus
Theatre at
Epidavros
Eisodos
Orchestra
Skene
Altar in
centre
Stone banked
seating
Exodos
Theatre at Epidavros Plan
Origins of Greek Drama
• Early Greek drama was simply religious dance
• Later stories concerning the festival were added
to the dances – City Dionysia chorus of satyrs
• A principal actor was then used to speak to the
audience in between choral dances - Thespis
• One actor became two and then three allowing
for more complicated stories
• The chorus leader often conversed with the
actors while moralizing on the story separately
• Sophocles added scenery and scenes
Masks
Masks were worn by actors to convey different emotions of a
character
Also to show different characters
Men only were the actors
Masks rather than costumes were the elaborate designs in a
tragedy, less so in comedy
Types of Drama
• Tragedy – Primarily mythical stories teaching a
moral lesson to the audience through the main
character’s reactions to events & people
• Comedy – Wide ranging between
contemporary political satire to mythical stories
given a humorous slant. Often very coarse
humour.
• Satyr plays – Farces and burlesque versions of
myths involving half goat Satyrs, coarse
language & gestures
• Dithyrambs – Chorus dances set to music on
some mythical theme
Dramatic devices
• Greek theatres had two pieces of machinery
• Mechane – A crane that swung characters around
the skene into view above the stage
• It was used to present gods often appearing to
solve otherwise insoluble problems
• It gave rise to the term deus ex machina
• Ekkyklema – A mini stage wheeled into the
orchestra through the central door of the skene
• Off stage events were presented to the audience,
actors and chorus in the form of a tableau
• Other props such as statues or altars would be on
the skene
• There was no curtain
Tragedy- Song of the Goat
The Tragedians
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Tragedy structure
•
•
•
•
Prologue introducing the action
Parados – entry of the chorus from the parados
Episodes – scenes of action central to plot
Stasima – Chorus songs separating the three
or more episodes and relating to action or
moralising to audience with mythical references
• Exodos – closing, usually moralizing, song of
the chorus – in Euripides’ plays it is often given
by the principal cathartic character
Tragic Devices
• Mimesis – simulated representation on stage
allows the audience to appreciate the drama
• Catharsis – a ritual cleansing that the hero has
to go through to be absolved of his crimes
• Anagnorisis – recognition by the hero of what
has occurred (often involving gods’ will) –
usually needed to allow catharsis to happen
• Peripeteia – reversal of fortune: the hero has to
suffer to then achieve anagnorisis & catharsis
• Hubris – pride or arrogance leading to speech
or action against the gods which is punished
Greek Comedy
Old Comedy – Crude, political, toilet humour, sexual jokes,
gods on stage, crazy costumes, animals personified, satire
Old Comedy
New Comedy
Aristophanes
Menander
New (& Roman) Comedy – Everyday situations, family drama,
clever slaves vs. stupid masters, lovers separated, young men
pursuing women, household situations, few political comments