Introduction to Ancient Greek Theatre

Pay attention! This information is likely to pop up on a quiz…say Monday…perhaps….there will be a quiz Monday. Introduction to Ancient Greek Theatre

Origins • “Ancient Greek Theatre” generally refers to theatre performed in Athens during the 5th century B.C. • Is considered the traditional origin of modern theatre • Grew out of religious ceremonies and festivals

Dionysus • Theatre began as part of a religious ceremony honoring the god Dionysus • God of wine, fertility, grapes, ecstasy, madness, pleasure, festivity, etc. • One of the 12 Olympians • Responsible for human impulses • Devine mission: to eradicate all care and worry

Dionysus • He was raised by satyrs, killed, dismembered, and reborn • Other gods had temples, the cult of Dionysus met in the woods • It was believed he could liberate and inspire men • Could endow man with divine creativity • Patron of the arts - theatre

Origins • The original ceremony involved a week of public wine drinking, a ritualistic dance, and chanting • Ceremony took place every March • Eventually, the chants were written down in verse form and later evolved into plays

From Ceremony to Plays • Original ceremony became formalized in the following ways • Took place in a large, bowl shaped space • Involved several specifically dressed performers who sang and danced predetermined pieces, usually with one leader

Involved huge crowds of spectators • The center of the round performance area had an altar • A goat was ritualistically killed and offered as a sacrifice at that altar • Fun fact: The word tragedy comes from the Ancient Greek word for “goat song.”

From Ceremony to Plays • Eventually, Thespis (the reason why actors are called thespians) came up with the clever idea of dialogue • Before him, no one presented what could be considered “conversation” on stage • It took even longer for someone else to come up with innovative idea of putting more than 2 characters on stage at the same time. • Topics eventually broadened from just the story of Dionysus to include the many myths and legends of Ancient Greek religion

Structure of Ancient Greek Tragedy • Tragedies must include • Chorus: group (usually 15ish) who speak in unison and act as the “voice of the people” • The chorus usually speaks poetically about the overall theme of the play between each scene • Tragic Hero: main character, usually noble, who falls from high position because of a basic, tragic flaw • Hubris, ruthless ambition, obsessive jealousy • Examination of the psychological make-up of the characters • No more than 3 actors speaking in a scene

Structure of Ancient Greek Tragedy • Prologue: A simple speech that introduces the basic story/theme of the play • Entrance of the Chorus: Umm…like when the chorus and enters…and stuff • Major Episodes: What we would consider scenes or acts during which dialogue takes place and the plot is advanced • Strophe: Poetry about the main theme/action of the play read between the Major Episodes of the play

Ancient Greek Theatre

Ancient Greek Theatres • Theatron: Where the audience sits; typically built into a hillside • Orchestra: Main acting space for the chorus or lower characters; usually included an alter in the middle

Ancient Greek Theatres • Parodos: Side aisles that allowed actors to make their entrances • Skene: Main acting area for major characters; provided the background for the play • usually had 3 entrances • could be simple booth or a permanent structure • could include machines like a crane

Look Familiar?

Presentation • Trilogy: Each tragedy was presented as a cycle of three plays • Three Levels: The picture shows the hero/god at the highest, human/minor characters on the second level, chorus on the lowest level

Ancient Greek Actors • Masks: Large, colorful, detailed, expressive, helped to amplify the actor’s voice. Female masks had larger mouths and eyes • Corthornous: Platform shoes worn by heroes and gods/goddesses to show how high, mighty, and important they were

Ancient Greek Actors • Long Robes: Worn to show age, gender, occupation, socioeconomic status, to hide big shoes • All actors were male, so those playing female roles needed really good costumes • Derp

The Role of FateFatewas a central concept to Ancient Greek religion and culture • Basic concept, in ancient Greek eyes • Your life, and everything you do during it, is predetermined before you are born • You can’t escape fate no matter what you do • Oracles, particularly the ones at Delphi, can reveal your fate to you, but they usually don’t give you all the pertinent information • Whenever anything bad, or good, happens to you, it can be attributed by fate?

Greek Law vs. Modern LawTwo big ideas to keep in mind • Motive meant nothing. There was no such thing as degrees of murder or manslaughter or self defense. THE ACT WAS THE ONLY THING taken into consideration when determining guilt. It didn’t matter why you did something, only that you did it. That being said… • Murder wasn’t necessarily a crime. All Greek citizens were charged with the duty of harming their enemies and helping their friends. Occasionally, that included committing a murder or two.

The Importance of Family • Family was everything in Ancient Greek culture • Any good Greek citizen knew the exact name and origin of each of his/her ancestors • Any good Greek citizen defended his/her relatives, no matter what they did, to the death • Ancient Greek families were not unlike the mob families presented in The Godfather series • Committing a crime, ESPECIALLY MURDER, against anyone in your family, ESPECIALLY YOUR PARENTS, was the worst thing you could do

Introduction to Ancient Greek Theatre