Transcript Ancient Greek Drama - Mentor High School

Ancient Greek Drama
Background Information
Athens
In 500 BC, Athens was the center of
Drama
 Drama was a ritual that honored
Dionysus, the god of grapevines and wine
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Birth of Drama
Began over 2000 years ago
 Drama was a ritual that honored
Dionysus, the god of grapevines and wine.
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3 Main Components of Early Greek
Theatre

Orchestra- where
the chorus of 1215 sang and
danced
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Theatron- semicircular seating
area

Skene- structure
representing the
palace
Performers

All performers wore masks
Types of Drama
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Theatres were places of competition
between playwrights.
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Dithyramb
Tragedy
Comedy
Satyrs

Satyr plays were farcical and sometimes
grotesque
Greek Chorus
Serves narrative purpose (exposition)
 Serves interpretive purpose (explains
recent action)
 Serves dramatic purpose (they are the
audience on the stage reacting to the
drama)
 Once the theatre became professional, the
chorus was eliminated.

Greek Values
Remember, this is before
Christianity
Know Thyself
Destiny determined by Fate
Nothing in Excess
The unexamined life is not
worth living
The Olympics
Greeks believed in celebrating mind and
body to the fullest
 Early sports were running races (the
marathon commemorates a 26 mile run
made by a military messenger during
battle), wrestling, javelin, and discus

Historical Background
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Ancient Greece is comprised of several “citystates” (Athens, Thebes, Corinth, Sparta, Crete)
Athens= the birthplace of democracy and naval
power
Sparta= military dictatorship (provided army in
wars in Persia)
In 404 BCE Spartan troops marched into Athens
and ripped down city walls and establish military
rule- the Golden Age was dead
Some of the oldest and best known Greek myths
are centered around the city of Thebes.
Philosophers
Philosophy= Love of thought
Socrates- Teacher of Platonever wrote anything
down. Believed in the
search for truth through
questioning. Thought easy
answers were usually
wrong. Forced to drink
Hemlock in 399 BCE for
corrupting the youth of
Athens.
Philosophers

Plato- Transcribed Socratic dialogues. He
was the teacher of Aristotle.

Aristotle- Wrote Poetics where he defined
tragedy (using Oedipus). He was the
teacher of Alexander the Great.
Tragedy
 tragic
flaw
 fate
 recognition
 reversal
of fortune
 reversal
 catharsis
Greek Drama
5th Century BCE, Athens is the center of
drama, philosophy, and education
(gymnasium)
 Rituals and festival to honor Dionysus (the
god of wine)

The decline of Greek myth and the loss of Greek freedom
set the stage for rise of comedy which dominated the
following era.