More GreeksTragedy, Comedy, Satyr

The Golden Agealso referred to as the classic age

roughly the 5th century B.C.E.

the three major tragedians & one comedian lived - produced work

Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes

Greek Theatre- men performed for men?

use of masks, costumes, scenery, special effects

Theatre of Dionysus

Theatron- seeing/viewing space- audience

Orchestra- dancing place -playing space for the chorus/performers

Skene- building for costume changes/entrances

Parodos- entrances for chorus

The Theatre Space

The Theatre Space…Proskenion- porch or front area (of scene)

Thymele- altar (center of orchestra)

Periaktoi- 3 sided painted scenery- rotate

Mechane- machine (deus ex machina- god machine

The elements of a tragedy (Aristotle and the Poetics)

plot

character

theme

language

music

spectacle

Chiharu Shiota, Artist, Set Designer"Oedipus Rex" stage design [Festspielhaus Hellerau / Dresden, Hebbel Am

Ufer / Berlin] direction and choreography by Constanza Macras and Dorky Park

The playwrights

tragedy

comedy (old)

new comedy

Æschylus525 B.C.E - 456 B.C.E.

lyric poetry

added a second actor

diminished importance of chorus (from 50 to 12)

developed scenery/visual spectacle

Sophocles

496 B.C.E. - 406 B.C.E.

builds further on the form

poetic and lucid

introduces third character

Euripides480 B.C.E.- 406 B.C.E.

considered “modern”

portrayal of women (strong)

greater realism (everyday life)

portrayal of gods as fallible

Satyr Plays

performed with tragedies

comical

chorus of satyrs (half goat- half man)

vulgar

overtly sexual

Aristophanes448 B.C.E.-380 B.C.E.

Old Comedy

Playwright’s work survived

Fantastical & Improbable Plots

Uses chorus (animals or other fantastical creatures)

Makes fun of society, politics, even other playwrights

Aristophanes’ plays

The Frogs

The Birds

Lysistrata

The Clouds

The Frogs / Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC 2004

adaptation by Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane (libretto, lead role), & Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics)

New Comedychanges to comedy in the 4th century B.C.E. (Hellenistic period)

Menander (playwright- example)

domestic & romantic situations

no more “fantastical” settings, or plot

rise of the actor/performer

Next Week:

Monday, August 22nd Course Text Book- Pp 1-21

& Wednesday, August 24th Hippolytus by Euripides

–email me with questions- or come to my office hours-sheila.malone@chaffey.edu

for Quiz #1- Wednesday, Aug. 31st - Greek Theatre terms, playwrights, forms of

drama and comedy, concepts of historiography

Wednesday, August 24th Read Hippolytus (available online)