Ancient Greek

Drama

• Originated in Athens, Greece and reached it’s peak in the fifth century B.C. • Grew from ancient religious

rituals.

Greek Mythology

•Zeus •Apollo •Dionysus –

Dionysus

• Son of Zeus & a mortal woman

•Mother was killed while pregnant by Zeus‘s lightning bolt• Underwent resurrection – 2nd

birth from Zeus’s thigh

DionysusDionysus God of wine and fertility in nature God of common people Thought to liberate worshippers

from personal trouble

Dionysus was a suffering god

• Ceremonies were not compatible w/ Greek tradition

• Rapid movements of hands & body

• Hysterical screaming • Cycle of lamenting

and rejoicing

Dionysus’s teachings went against Apollo’s teachings of restraint.

Apollo’s follows believed in “Nothing too much” and

“Know thyself”

•Often the worship of Dionysus was forbidden•More women worshippers

than men

A Suffering God

• Dionysus was believed to have undergone death and resurrection

• Religious ceremony mirrored this

• Lamenting mirrored god’s death•Rejoicing with wild dancing and

singing mirrored god’s resurrection•Often involved animal sacrifices

• Service served as a social safety valve •After service

worshippers left with peace of mind •Was a type of

catharsis

Dithyrambs• Choral lyric poems in honor of Dionysus• Sung while dancing around altar • Performed by 50 men dressed in goat skins (sacred animals of the gods)

Dithyrambs–Later evolved into what we see as chorus–Goats later awarded as prizes in tragedy festivals

Dithyrambs• Tragedy = goat song

(tragoidia) • Men represented

satyrs (Dionysus’s companions

Dithyrambs evolved

•Became poetic in form • Included stories of gods and heroes

• Arion (writer) was the 1st to write dithyramb as literature in poetic form

Choragos

• The leader of the chorus filled in the intervals between portions of lyric poems with stories of Dionysus

Peisistratus

• Ruler of Athens• 6th Century B.C. • Gave official recognition to

tragedy• Festival instituted

Thespis

Introduced first actor Hypokrites - answerer Performed between dances of the

chorus Would take several roles – change

costumes many times - wore maskConversed w/ leader of chorus

Thespis• The “Father of Drama” was born in Attica,

and was the first prize winner at the Great Dionysia in 534 BC.

• He was an important innovator for the theatre, since he introduced such things as the independent actor, as opposed to the choir, as well as masks, make up and costumes.

Aeschylus added the second actor

• With this addition, drama was born • Possibility of

conflict • Chorus was reduced

to 12

Sophocles

• Added 3rd actor • Stabilized chorus at 15 • Introduced painted sets

Sophocles

• Prominent citizen of Athens• Generally considered the greatest of

ancient Greek playwrights• Known for musical, poetic, and dramatic

talents• General, political leader,

priest

Career spanned 62 years

• At age of 17, was leader of the chorus• At age of 28, won prize and defeated leading

playwright of the day• Wrote 120+ plays• Won 1st place 24 times for 72 plays• Never won less that 2nd prize (7 times)• Names of nearly 100 plays known today• Seven complete plays survive today

Contributions

• Added the third actor• Fixed the number of chorus members to 15• Introduced painted scenery• Made each play of trilogy separate in nature• Wrote Oedipus (430 B.C.), Oedipus at Colonus

(405 B.C.) and Antigone (440 B.C.)• Plays always contain a moral lesson – usually a

caution against pride

Production of the plays

Tragedy as an art form

• Reached its height in 5th century B.C.• Tragedies presented at Tragedy Festivals• Originally presented in honor of god Dionysus

City Dionysia - Festival

•Most important of 3 annual festivals • Plays produced by state • 5 days in March/April

Festival Structure • DAY 1• Grand procession w/ statue of

Dionysus carried to the theatre – sacred parade

• A herald would announce the competing plays

• DAYS 2 & 3 - 5 Dithyrambs – Men & 5 Dithyrambs – Boys

Festival Schedule

DAYS 4 - 6 Drama contest Each playwright presented three tragedies - & 1 satyr play (ridicule gods or heroes)

Later a comedy also presentedOnly 3 playwrights participated

Actors were chosen by state earlier in the year

Public businesses suspended Prisoners released on bail 14,000 spectators Attendance mandatory – religious

obligationCitizens often required to

participate in productions

Spectators • Men and women were

segregated • Originally free • When trouble over seats – fee

charged • State provided fund for those

who couldn’t pay.

Playwright’s ResponsibilitiesWrote plays Composed music Directed Supervised rehearsals Acted Assigned actors, chorus, musicians, etc.

Costs paid by wealthy citizens (honor)

Was considered a public service

Required as a special tax on wealthy

Shared praise

PrizesWreaths,Crowns of ivy

Bull, GoatName carved in marble

judges•10 – 20 judges were chosen by government •Elaborate precautions to prevent corruption

Thespis •Winner

of the first

contest

Other winners

•Aeschylus •Sophocles •Euripides

Theater

http://www.fuhsd.net/schools/fhs/teachers/lzastrow/images/Ancient%20Greece/Epidaurus%20Greek%20theater.jpg

Actors and Acting

Hypocrites (answerer)• Never more than

three actors in a performance•All male performers

Costumes and Masks

• Long flowing robes• Colored

symbolically• Often padded to

add stature• High boots with

raised soles• Props carried to

identify roles

Larger Than Life Masks

• Made of linen, wood, cork• Made with human

or animal hair• Exaggerated

features – large eyes and open mouth

Masks continued• Used to inspire audience (larger than

mortals)• Hid actor’s face from gods as they

impersonated them• Acted as megaphone to amplify voices• Identified age, gender and rank of

character• Called a “persona”• Choir masks much simpler

Chorus

Ideal Spectator

Passage of time or transition between scenes

Entertains

Gives background information

Introduces & questions new

characters

Points out significance of events

Gives advice Identifies

themes

Conventions of Tragedy

• Unities of time, place, action• Techniques of stichomythia, strophe,

antistrophe, epode, and in media res• Messenger who tells happenings

offstage and reports acts of violence (never allowed on stage

Conventions continued

• No violence on stage• The action always takes place outdoors• There were limitations of the theater–No intermission–No lighting, no curtain–Myths were already known to audience –

playwright had to rely on dramatic irony

Structure of tragedy

• Prologue • Parados • Episodes • Stasimon • Paean• Exodus

Prologue

•Opening scene •Background of story is established •Single actor

Episodes

Counterparts of Acts4 – 8 in a tragedy

(known as scenes in our translation)

Stasimon•Choral ode at the end of each episode •Originally a poem written to be sung•Serves to separate the scenes since no

curtains were present: provides the chorus’ response to the preceding

scene

Paean

• A choral hymn in praise of a god• In Antigone praise to Dionysus,

in whose honor the Greeks presented their plays

Exodus

Exit of Chorus and Actors

Definition of Tragedy• Defined by Aristotle in 335 BC in Poetics• Told to arouse emotions of pity and fear in audience – Pity because the tragic hero is not an evil man –

punishment is too great– Fear because of the possibility of error in ourselves

• Produces catharsis in audience (new understanding of gods and man)

• Produces catharsis in audience – come away with new understanding of gods and man

• Tells story of downfall (catastrophe) of tragic hero• Order is restored in the end of the play

Tragic Hero

• Noble • Powerful & respected • Tempts fate • Has a tragic flaw in personality (usually pride)• Brings extraordinary amounts of sorrow and

suffering on himself• Undergoes a reversal of fortune • Has a moment of self awareness • Dies or wishes to be dead in the end of the

play

Basic Concepts of Greek Culture

• Believed every person’s life ruled by predetermined fate – a natural force set in motion by the gods and one that could not be altered

• Believed every person’s fate held in store a personal allotment of unavoidable misery

• Believed man possessed a certain freedom of will and action and could live out his life with dignity, bringing upon himself no more than his allotted share of grief

Basic concepts of Greek Culture continued

• Believed man was inferior to the gods because he was mortal and fallible

• Believed man was to be punished if he defied the gods