Transcript 3 Greek theatre

Greek Theatre
Greek Tragedy
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Tragedies:
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Aeschylus - 525-456 B.C. - 80 plays, 7 extant
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Euripides - 480-406 B.C. - 90 plays, 18 or 19 extant
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Sophocles - 495-406 B.C.-100 plus plays, 7 extant
Aeschylus
Aeschylean tragedy is grand, massive,
and dignified
The language is heavy and often difficult
to understand, full of compound forms
and complex metaphors.
He is still considered by many (as
Aristophanes writes about in The Frogs)
to be the greatest Greek playwright.
Aeschylus' first victory: 484 B.C.
Number of victories by Aeschylus: 13
Characteristics of Aeschylus's plays:
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characters have limited number of traits, but clear
and direct
emphasizes forces beyond human control
evolution of justice, impersonal
power of state eventually replacing personal
revenge
chain of private guilt and punishment - all
reconciled at end
Sophocles
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Sophocles was born in 497 BC in Colonos,
Athens.
Although according to some sources he was
the son of an aristocratic family, according to
others, he was the son of a knife-maker.
He kept studying the plays of Aeschylus and
many times he defeated him in the contests.
During his militairy service he attained the
rank of General.
He was teaching three separate tragedies
instead of one trilogy.
He increased the number of hypocrits(actors)
from two to three.
He also increased the members of the chorus
from 12 to 15.
His language was so harmonic and beautiful
that Aristoteles said that "honey was dropping
of his mouth"
He died in Athens in 405 BC, after having
written 123 dramas, of which only 7 are
saved.
Characteristics of Sophocles' plays:
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emphasis on individual characters
reduced role of chorus
complex characters, psychologically well-motivated
characters subjected to crisis leading to suffering and selfrecognition - including a higher law above man
exposition carefully motivated
scenes suspensefully climactic
action clear and logical
poetry clear and beautiful
few elaborate visual effects
theme emphasized: the choices of people
Euripides
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He was born in 480 BC in Halandri, Athens
on the day of the battleship of Salamina.
His parents were very poor but he had a
fine education, being a student of
Anaxagoras and a close friend to Socrates.
Very popular in later Greek times, little
appreciated during his life sometimes
known as "the father of melodrama"
He wrote 72 works, 19 of which are saved (
18 tragedies and 1 satiric drama: "The
Cyclops")
He died violently in 406 in Pella, killed by
wild dogs.
Euripides
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Euripides appears to cast tragedy's religious foundations
into question. Some later playwrights, such as
Aristophanes, portray him as arid in his dialogue, and
determined to make tragedy less elevated by introducing
common people. Others call him a misogynist, an
underminer of received morality, and unorthodox in his
religious views.
Yet, no other playwright from antiquity challenged the
status quo in such a controversial manner. He brought
about issues for the people and for the philosophers, and
not just for the literary figures.
Characteristics of Euripides' plays:
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dealt with subjects usually considered unsuited to the stage which
questioned traditional values (Medea loving her stepson, Medea
murdering her children)
dramatic method often unclear -not always clearly causally related
episodes, with many reversals, deus ex machina endings
many practices were to become popular: using minor myths or
severely altered major ones
less poetic language, realistic characterizations and dialog
tragedy was abandoned in favor of melodramatic treatment.
theme emphasized: sometimes chance rules world, people are more
concerned with morals than gods are.
Aristophanes
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He was born in Athens in 452
BC.
He had been writing since he
was an adolescent but he was
not allowed to participate in the
contests because of his age.
Therefore he participated with
the alias "Detalis" and he won
the first prize with "The
Acharnians".
He died in Aegina in 385 BC.
Plays
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Acharnians (425 B.C.)
Knights (424 B.C.)
Clouds (423 B.C.)
Wasps (422 B.C.)
Peace (421 B.C.)
Birds (414 B.C.)
Lysistrata (411 B.C.)
Women at the Thesmophoria (411 B.C.)
Frogs (405 B.C.)
Ecclesiazusae (c. 391 B.C.)
Plutus (388 B.C.)
Greek Comedy
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Comedy (from Greek komos, meaning “revel”) was presented competitively in Athens
from 486 BC at the Lenaea winter festival.
It fused much earlier traditions of popular entertainment, mime, phallic rites, and revelry
in honour of Dionysus.
Old Comedy, of which Aristophanes was the chief exponent, was highly satirical.
It was characterized by wildly imaginative material (in which the chorus might represent
birds, frogs, wasps, or clouds) that was blended with a grotesque, vulgar, and witty tone,
which could still accommodate poetry of great lyrical beauty.
Commentary on contemporary society, politics, literature, and Peloponnesian War.
Based on a "happy idea" - a private peace with a warring power or a sex strike to stop
war
The bawdiness of the plays was emphasized by the actors' costumes, which featured
jerkins with padded stomachs and large phalli.
As in tragedy, masks were worn, though exaggerated for comic effect.
ARISTOPHANES WORK IS ALSO CALLED
ATTIC OLD COMEDY
Athenian comedy of the 5th century
Vitally connected to Athenian democracy
Highly political – intending to instruct, so political ideas, entertain .
Thrived when Athens was in the extreme crisis of the Peloponnesian war
431-404bc
Celebrated traditional values:
peace, fertility, religion, and countryside,poetry & creativity.
Against “modern” values:
The new, the war, logic and sophist education.
Characteristics of old comdey
(related to its link to the ecstatic cult of Dionysus)
Chorus , masks, animal costumes
Loosing one’s individual personality, and opening to the god [like
student or Xmas parade]
STRUCTURE centred on parodos, agon, parabasis
parados – the procession of chorus into the theatre
agon – the debate between 2 actors – judged by the chorus
parabasis – unmasked chorus talks to the audience about the meaning of the play
Serious educative purpose
Characteristics of old comdey
(related to its link to the ecstatic cult of Dionysus)
Emphasis on bawdiness
Komos – (the phallic procession) religious, not obscene.
Festive
return to life [winter –Lanaea, and spring –
City Dionysia]
Satirical attack on current trends and unpopular
leaders
Competitive
Structure of the play
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Prologos-The first speech of an actor (hypokrites) or
actors, usually to set up the plot and explain what has
happened prior to the play’s beginning.
Parodos -The first speech of the chorus, usually to
explain their purpose in being there, or to explain the
overall purpose and meaning of the play.
Episodes -Actions between actors or between an actor
and the chorus. Their purpose is to present the action or
dialogue within the play.
Structure of the play
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Agon- the argument of “contest” at the heart of
Aristohanes comedies. Both sides have a say,
usually comically over stating their own case and
paradingin the opponents.
Parabasis a sort of time out where the leader of
the chorus addresses the audience outside the stry
of the comedy on some pressing issue of the day,
but linking to the theme of the comedy.
Exodus - The final resolution of the play, and an
explanation of the final actions in the play by one
or more of the hypokriteis.
Timeline of Ancient Greek Drama
c. 625
Arion at Corinth produces first dithyrambic choruses.
540-527 Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, founds the festival of the Greater Dionysia
536-533 Thespis puts on tragedy at festival of the Greater Dionysia in Athens
525
Aeschylus born
499-496 Aeschylus' first dramatic competitions
c. 496
Sophocles born
485
Euripides born
484
Aeschylus' first dramatic victory
468
Aeschylus defeated by Sophocles in dramatic competition
458
Aeschylus' Oresteia (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides)
456
Aeschylus dies
Timeline of Ancient Greek Drama
c. 450
Aristophanes born
441
Sophocles' Antigone
431-404 Peloponnesian War (Athens and allies vs. Sparta and allies)
c. 429
Sophocles' Oedipus the King
406
Euripides dies; Sophocles dies
404
Athens loses Peloponnesian War to Sparta
399
Trial and death of Socrates
c. 380's Plato's Republic includes critique of Greek tragedy and comedy
380
Aristophanes dies
Existing Works of Greek Tragedy
• Aeschylus
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Persians (472)
Seven Against Thebes (468)
Suppliant Women (463?)
Oresteia Trilogy: (458)
• Agamemnon
• Libation Bearers
• Eumenides
– Prometheus Bound (450-425?)
• Sophocles
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Ajax (450-430)
Antigone (c. 442?)
Trachiniai (450-430?)
Oedipus Tyrannos (429-425?)
Electra (420-410)
Philoctetes (409)
Oedipus at Colonus (401)
• Euripides
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Alcestis (438)
Medea (431)
Children of Heracles (ca. 430)
Hippolytus (428)
Andromache (ca. 425)
Hecuba (ca. 424),
Suppliant Women (ca. 423)
Electra (ca. 420)
Heracles (ca. 416)
Trojan Women (415)
Iphigenia among the Taurians (ca. 414)
Ion (ca. 413)
Helen (412)
Phoenician Women (ca. 410)
Orestes (408)
Bacchae (after 406)
Iphigenia in Aulis (after 406)
Cyclops (possibly ca. 410)
Existing Comedies of
Aristophanes
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Acharnians (425 B.C.)
Knights (424 B.C.)
Clouds (423 B.C.)
Wasps (422 B.C.)
Peace (421 B.C.)
Birds (414 B.C.)
Lysistrata (411 B.C.)
Women at the
Thesmophoria (411 B.C.)
– Frogs (405 B.C.)
– Ecclesiazusae (c. 391
B.C.)
– Plutus (388 B.C.)