theater of the ancient greeks. where is the evidence? vases
TRANSCRIPT
Theater of the Ancient Greeks
Where is the evidence?Vases
Where is the evidence?Plays
Where is the evidence?Architecture
Dionysus, the god of wine and the cycle of the seasons, became associated with the theatre festival of the Greeks, called the City Dionysia.
Theatre in Athens
A complete event: civic, religious, historic, entertaining, social, competitive
The height of Greek theatre was in the 5th Century BC
Theatre at Epidauros
Plays performed outdoors
All male cast
Actors wore masks, costumes, raised shoes
Competition for best play
A minimal number of featured performers on stage at a time…2, 3, or 4
A large chorus of about 15 performed songs and dances
Aristotle (384-322-BCE)
Wrote an important description of the theatre of the generation before him: The Poetics
We only have a fragmentHe deals only with tragedy, which he says derives from “goat song”.
A great tragedy has unity of action
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex
Euripides: Electra
Aeschylus: The Oresteia
Important Figures from
the
Theatre of the Greeks
Oedipus and the Sphinx
Theatre words from the Greek
Skene: the building behind the acting areaParados: the procession of the chorus
Orkestra: the acting area
Chorus: the group of actors commenting on the action
Theatron: the seating area
Antagonist and Protagonist
Thespis: the “first” actor (534 BCE)
