The Golden Age of Ancient Greek

Theatrethe origins of drama

The Origins Of Drama Created to celebrate

Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and ritual madness and ecstasy. 

He was also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by the Romans

drama The term comes from a Greek word dran meaning "action," which is derived from “to do.”

Thespian From the name Thespis, the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play

the chorus15 menSang lyric poetryPerforming was regarded as a civic dutyWore robes and masks

Functions of the chorus an agent: gives advice, asks,

takes part establishes ethical framework,

sets up standard by which action will be judged

ideal spectator - reacts as playwright hopes audience would

sets mood and heightens dramatic effects

adds movement, spectacle, song, and dance

rhythmical function - pauses / paces the action so that the audience can reflect.

The Theatre

ofDionysus

The first plays were performed in the Theatre of Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the 5th century

These theatres proved to be so popular they soon spread all over Greece.

Amphitheatres

Plays were performed out-of-doors.

The side of the mountain was scooped out into a bowl shape, something like our amphitheatres today, and tiers of stone seats in concentric semi-circles were built on the hill.

These theatres often seated as many as 20,000 spectators, with a special first row being reserved for dignitaries.

Theatron The theatron (literally,

"viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra.

Orchestra The orchestra (literally, "dancing

space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage

(called the Proskenion - proh-SKAY-nee-on) in front of the skene. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar.

Skene

The skene - SKAY-nay (literally, “tent") was the building directly behind the stage in which costumes were stored, and was usually decorated as a palace or building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. Origination of the word “scene.”

The Actors All of the actors were

men. No girls allowed.

The actors played multiple roles, so a wooden, cork, or linen mask was used to show the change in character or mood.

The masks were worn for many reasons :

1. Visibility2. Acoustic Assistance3. Few Actors, Many Roles4. Characterization

Modern-day replicas

Hero-King

Comedy (Servant or Herald )

Tragedy (Weeping Chorus)

Working in the Space Because of the distance

between actors and the audience, the actors used broad gestures and histrionic speech.

The actor made himself taller by wearing thick-soled shoes and a high head piece.

The masks assisted in projecting the actor’s voice through a type of inside megaphone.

The deus-ex-machina DAY-uhs eks ma-kuh--nuh (god from the machine) was a crane-like device occasionally used for lowering in a god to assist the protagonist

in neatly solving his problems.

The City Dionysia Festival

In the sixth century BC, the Athenian ruler, Pisistratus, established the 'City Dionysia,' a festival of entertainment held in honor of the god Dionysus.

This festival featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and poetry.

Playwrights presented a series of three tragedies (a trilogy).

Interspersed among the three plays in the trilogy were satyr plays.

The City Dionysia Festival The entire city would be in

attendance. All other businesses not

directly involved with the 6-day festival would shut down so that everyone could attend.

The government even offered financial assistance to those who could not afford to attend.

Types of Greek Drama Comedy Satyr (SATIRE) Tragedy

Comedy and tragedy were the most popular types of plays in ancient Greece. Hence, the modern popularity of the comedy and tragedy masks to symbolize theatre.

Tragedy The word

tragedy came to be derived from the Greek tragos (goat) and ode (poem). Tragedy literally means goat song or goat poem.

Why read Tragedy? Strength of

character Perseverance Courage Inspiration The dignity of

the human spirit

Aristotle’s “Poetics,” an essay about

drama in which he discusses

tragedy and the tragic hero

• of the Elite Class / mighty figure• suffers a Downfall / reversal of fortune• Neither Wholly good nor wholly evil• Downfall is the result of a Fatal Flaw• Endures uncommon suffering• Recognizes the consequences of his actions

Traits of the central character of a tragedy – tragic hero

• Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends

• Tragic actions take place offstage• Central Character has a moment of recognition – “Oh, now I get it!”• Audience experiences pity and fear• Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis• Frequently used messengers to relate information• Stories based on myth or history, but varied

interpretations of events • Focus was on psychological and ethical

attributes of characters, rather than physical and sociological

Traits of the a tragedy

SophoclesThe Greatest of

the Greek playwrights

Sophocles (496-406 bc) His plays are more character-driven

rather than choric He is credited with adding a third

character His works include: Oedipus Rex,

Antigone, and Electra Sophocles’ surviving plays (written

after 440 B.C.) are deeply troubling These plays depict characters caught

up in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human justice

Oedipus the King

OEDIPUS REX one of the world’s

greatest tragedies Said by Aristotle to be

the perfect tragedy The audience was

familiar with the myth of Oedipus, so there would be dramatic irony when watching the play

OEDIPUS REX - Background Sophocles opens his play with a situation very familiar to the people of Athens:

a plague with no end in sight!

Themes & symbols Sight vs. Blindness Fate vs. Free Will Action vs. Reflection The Quest for Identity or Self The Nature of Innocence and Guilt The Abuse of Power Sins of the Father Even the Mightiest Can Fall

The Final Curtain By the time of Sophocles’s

death in 406 BC, the golden era of Greek drama was ending.

Athens was overrun in 404 BC by the Spartans and was later torn apart by constant warring with other city states, eventually falling under the dominion of Alexander the Great and his Macedonian armies.

Theatre went on but did not return to the same creative heights until Elizabethan England two millennia later.