Ancient Greek Theater

An introduction to the beginnings of theater. Ancient Greek Theater

Aristotle’s 6 Elements of Theater (In this order:) 1. Plot- The arrangement of events on stage 2. Character- The agents of the plot 3. Theme- The reason the playwright wrote the play 4. Language- Dramatic language is both dramatic and narrative 5. Rhythm- Every aspect has a rhythm and together they create the mood of the play 6. Spectacle- Everything seen or heard on stage

Grecian Theater 550 BC-220 BC Athens was the center of the action Every year there was a festival called Dionysia (like an Aquatennial or Town & Country Days) where they honored the god, Dionysus (god of harvest & wine) Greeks used to perform plays at festivals to honor their gods

Where did they perform? Amphitheaters were built so that the shows could be seen by the masses as well as accommodate a large cast on stage. 12+ actors 14,000+ viewers They used the uneven landscape as a resource to set these huge arenas. Eventually, a wall or backdrop was added to the set as the theater productions grew.

What about the acting? Dudes only. Women did not act. Typically they were not in the audience either. Three genres: Tragedy, Comedy, & Satyr (Tragicomedy) The festivals were also competitions. There was typically a “chorus” of about 12-15 actors. (They didn’t really sing) They would also wear masks as a way to exaggerate their faces to the crowds and to appear as one person

A little more about the acting Actors would wear metal on the bottom of their shoes to create a louder sound from their dance steps (thus is born, the first tap shoe) The lead roles went to high society members. People would go all out on their acting. If the character gets stabbed--the actor actually gets stabbed. Or dies. (They would use prisoners for actors)

Who writes the plays? 4 dudes to know: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes

Aeschylus Father of Tragedy Most famous play The Persians It’s about how the Persians won a battle and killed all but one dude. And The Suppliants These like 50 sisters have to marry their cousins. They flee and ask a king for help. He does. The cousins come & he shoos them away.

Sophocles Wrote over 123 plays...only 7 survived Oedipus Trilogy Kills his dad. He marries his mom. They have kids. She realizes he is her son. Kills herself. He pokes his eyes out. He’s exiled. Antigone She wants to bury her brothers. Her fiance dies.

Euripides Wrote about 92 plays, about 18 survived Hippolytus He won’t do it with his step mom. She kills herself and leaves a note saying that He raped her. His dad reads it. Hipp. gets exiled and then the truth comes out but he’s half dead. He dies.

Aristophanes He came in after the other three had died The Frogs Basically Dante’s Inferno. Dionysus goes down into hell to bring Euripides back from the dead Lysistrata Women won’t do it with their husbands because the men make all the decisions and then go to war. The women won the battle

References http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/materials/drama/Hoffman/101SIXARISTOAPLAYspr03.asp http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Theatre/

Ancient Greek Theater