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Greek Theatre. Background. Originated in Athens ~534 BC. Thespis is the earliest playwright recorded. The term ‘Thespian performer’ came from Thespis. Satyr play is the earliest type of play. It was a mythological tragedy portrayed in a comedic fashion.
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Background • Originated in Athens ~534 BC. • Thespis is the earliest playwright recorded. • The term ‘Thespian performer’ came from Thespis. • Satyr play is the earliest type of play. It was a mythological tragedy portrayed in a comedic fashion. • Tragedies and Comedies are totally different genres. • No one knows where tragedies and comedies originated from. Aristotle and other philosophers proposed theories.
Background • Males who played female roles wore a prosternada, a wooden structure for the chest and a progastreda the stomach. • Actors who had tragic roles wore boots Corthurnus. • Comedic roles wore thin soled shoes called socks. • Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are the three great playwrights.
Playwrights • The first playwright and the first actor and the earliest recorded playwright. • From a village named Icaria. • Aeschylus 525-456 BC, Sophocles 496-406 BC, and Euripides 484-406 BC. • Aeschylus composed ~80 plays. • Sophocles wrote ~120 plays. Seven of them are still alive. • Eurpides wrote ~98 plays.
Playwrights • Aeschylus introduced a new format for a play. • Instead of one character and the chorus, he brought in two characters along with the chorus. • Sophocles invented the skenographia. • A painted backdrop for his play, he was the first playwright to put a background in a play. • Euripides invented the mechanical accessories in the play to make the gods and goddesses appear and disappear faster.
Parts Theatre • Orchestra, dancing place. • Theatron, seating place. • Skene, backdrop, set of play. Usually a two story building. • Parados, arch ways where actors and chorus enter and exit
Order of Play • Prologue, background of play spoken by 1-2 characters. • Parados, song sung by chorus while orchestra and dances enter. • (First) Episode, parts of play where chorus and characters talk. • (First) Stasimon, ‘summary’ of each episode where the moral is reviewed. • Exodes, While chorus exits they sing some words of wisdom to the audience.
Scene Elements • Machina, Crane that makes characters fly. • Ekkykelema, Wheeled wagon to bring ‘dead’ characters closer to the crowd. • Trap doors, openings in ground to let characters in and out, • Pinakes, pictures hung to show the setting of scene “episode”. • Thyromata, more detailed pictures placed on the second-third floor of skene. • Phallic, props used in a Satyr plays to portray fertility in honor of Dionysus.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JCz6CI3S9BE/SPa1uKqzX8I/AAAAAAAAACM/fU-onqI9R-Y/s320/theaterdiagram.gifhttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JCz6CI3S9BE/SPa1uKqzX8I/AAAAAAAAACM/fU-onqI9R-Y/s320/theaterdiagram.gif • http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/arts/architec/ancientarchitectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm • http://greece.mrdonn.org/theatre.html
Dionysus • Greek god of fertility and wine • A very important god and one of the two who understand human suffering • In Orphic legend, he was Dionysus Zagreus, the son of Zeus and Persephone • In other legends he was the son of Zeus and Semele • The only god born from a mortal parent • He was reared by nymphs on Mt. Nysa, where he invented the art of wine making • He wandered through many lands, teaching men the culture of wine and the mysteries of his cult
Dionysus • He was followed by an entourage of satyrs, sileni, maenads, and nymphs • He was worshiped and had his own festival created by man • Later, his worship became more formalized and calm • It was believed that he could liberate and inspire man through wine and ecstatic frenzy • He could also endow man with divine creativity • Thus he was considered a patron of the arts • He was represented as a full-grown bearded man, as a beast, and as a delicate, effeminate youth
Festival of Dionysus • There were many festivals of Dionysus • In each one he was worshipped and celebrated • His characteristic worship was ecstatic and women were prominently involved • Votaries were people who made vows of dedication to religious service • They were giving service through music and plays
Festival of Dionysus • They celebrated by singing songs, dancing, and drinking • They also sacrificed animals and ate their flesh and blood • This is how they also attempted to merge their identities with nature • From the music, singing, and dancing they created dithyramb and ultimately Greek drama • Dithyramb was a song created for the worship of Dionysus at the festivals • The idea of Thanksgiving came from these festivals
The Different Festivals • There were four different festivals • The Lesser or Rural Dionysia (in late December) • The Greater or City Dionysia (in late Spring) • The Anthesteria (in early Spring) • The Lenaea (in winter) • Each one not only had the normal festival celebrations, but also had plays • There were tragedies and comedies for the worship of Dionysus • There was a competition for the winning play • Each festival would hold three tragedies and one satyr for the audience to leave on a happy note
Tragedies • In 534 B.C., Athens introduced an annual tragedy contest at the City Dionysia • Every year an official would chose three plays that each contained three tragedies and one satyr play • They assigned a wealthy citizen to pay for all production costs not covered by the state • There was a panel of ordinary citizens, chosen by lottery, to judge the plays and award prizes
Tragedies • The most important innovators were the three tragedians whose work still survives • Aeschylus (523-456 B.C) created the Oresteia Trilogy which he used to explore political concepts like justice • Sophocles (496-406 B.C) made plays of the famous Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone • Euripides showed the most civil discourse in plays like Medea, Electra, and The Trojan Women • Around 488, the City Dionysia added a comedy competition
Citations • "Dionysus." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 25 Aug. 2013. • Stainburn, Samantha. "A Revolution On The Stage." Mysteries Of History: The Ancient World (2004): 56. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 25 Aug. 2013.
