greek theater. sophocles 495 bce – 405 bce (approx.) became a prominent resident of athens, greece...
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Greek Theater
Sophocles
495 BCE – 405 BCE (approx.)Became a prominent resident of Athens, GreeceDionysia was a large religious festival in honor of Dionysus, the god of agriculture, theatre, wine, & ecstasyIn 468 BCE, he took first prize at Dionysia, defeating the reigning champion, AeschylusWrote over 120 plays, only 7 of which have withstood the test of time
Sophocles wrote:
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
Roots in Worship of Dionysus
God of wine and revelry
Legend has it… At a competition in the city of
Dionysia, the most remarkable winner was a man by the name of Thespis.
Legend has it that in 534 or 535 B.C., Thespis astounded audiences by leaping onto the back of a wooden cart and reciting poetry as if he were the characters whose lines he was reading. In doing so, he became the world’s first actor. It is from him that we get the word thespian.
Greek Theatre large, open areas
took advantage of hillsides to create stadium style seating
could usually seat thousands of people (Dionysia could seat approx. 17,000)
performance space was called the “orchestra”
this is where the chorus sang and danced
Theater at Epidaurus
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Changed Theatre ForeverIntroduced a third actorGave dialogue a fuller sense of developmentLessened the role of the chorusDeveloped “skēnē” where the background was painted and arranged in order to create a spectacular effect
Chorus
Chorus
Masks of Greek Theater
Masks of Greek Theater
Masks of Greek Theater
Theatrical Terms
Tragedy
Developed out of ancient Greece
A drama or literary work in which the main character, or protagonist, is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sadness, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
Deals with affairs of the state (wars, government, etc.)
More Terms
Tragic Hero
the main character in a tragedy who makes an error in their actions that leads to their own downfall
Characteristics of a Tragic Hero
The hero is faced with a serious decision.
Central Character suffers a Downfall
He Is often a king or leader
so that his people
experience his fall with him.
HIS downfall arouses pity and
fear
THE HERO THE HERO LEARNS LEARNS
SOMETHING SOMETHING FROM FROM
HIS/HER HIS/HER MISTAKEMISTAKE..
Central Character is Neither Wholly good
nor wholly evil
Downfall is the result of a Fatal
Flaw
Misfortunes affect characters who are related or who are
friends
Tragic actions take place offstage
Central Character has a moment of
recognition
He is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences,
often resulting in His death.
More Terms
Chorusa group of 12-15 men that provided background information and commentary to help the audience understand the performanceThey modeled how the audience “should” reactThey expressed what the main characters (of which there were only 2 before Sophocles) could not say… their thoughts, feelings, etc.Usually sang, but would also speak in unison (very overdramatically to enhance volume)
Theatrical Terms
Four Types of IronyDramatic- audience knows something the characters don’t
Situational- when the last thing you expect to happen happens
Verbal- what is said vs. what is meant (sarcasm)
Cosmic- what the characters aspire to vs. what the cosmic forces allow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-1xvWibt0
Delphi
Delphi
Oracle of Delphi
Oedipus and Sphinx
Oedipus and Sphinx
Riddle of the Sphinx
"Which animal has one voice, but two, three or four feet being slowest on
three?"
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