A map of ancient Greece.

1. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece(Historical Background) • Early Aegean civilizations affected theatre through the influence of their gods, heroes, and histories • These were the source material for Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, which were in turn the basis for Greek drama. • Thus, these civilizations provided the foundation for Western literature. • The Greek civilization that developed theatre took shape between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C.E. • The most important city-states were Attica (Athens), Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Megara, and Argos. • They were ruled by kings until around 800 B.C.E, when nobles began to gain power. A map of ancient Greece. Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Ancient_Regions_Mainland_Greece.png/280px-Ancient_Regions_Mainland_Greece.png 1

2. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece(Historical Background) • Tyrants came into power in many city-states between 650 and 500 B.C.E. • Many of them actually improved social conditions and promoted the arts • The most important was Peisistratus • He made Athens the leading center of the Arts • He established or enlarged several festivals including the City Dionysia (the major home of drama) • Eventually tyrants were overthrown, and Athens founded the world’s first Democracy around 508 B.C.E. Possibly a carved bust of Peisistratus. Image: http://alchetron.com/Peisistratos-1045073-W 2

3. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece(Historical Background) • Athenian confidence in their strength and worth greatly motivated their artistic expression. • Equally important was the Greek view of human beings and the Gods • Greek thought is characterized by a tension between: • Human rationality • Acknowledgement of unpredictability • Greek faith in humanity was great, but they were not consistent • They enslaved others • They severely restricted the role of women This sculpture shows a variety of Greek gods. Image: http://eu.greekreporter.com/files/greek-pantheon-of-the-gods.jpg 3

4. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece(The Origin of Tragedy) • In one account, the invention of tragedy is credited to Thespis in 534 B.C.E. • It is said he won a competition in Athens as part of the City Dionysia festival • This confusion is probably due in part to the imprecise meaning of the word tragoidia (“goat song”) from which we get the word tragedy. • Later Roman authors say Thespis experimented with different types of masks. • The great innovation attributed to Thespis is the creation of “dialogue” • Assumed to be an exchange of words between him and the leader of the chorus. • This made him the first actor/dramatist • Greeks called him hypokrites, meaning “interpreter” or “answerer” A statue honoring Thespis, the first actor. Image: https://www.tes.com/lessons/jR4EzJeAOazspg/greek-and-roman 4

5. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece(The Origin of Tragedy) • The earliest still-existing account of how Greek drama originated comes from Aristotle’s Poetics. • It states that Drama emerged from improvisations by leaders of dithyrambs (hymns sung and danced to Dionysus, Greek god of wine and fertility). • Alternate theories argue that drama emerged from experimentation with performance forms like recited stories, sung poetry, and narrative dance • Regardless, a major step was taken when the first actor/dramatist appeared in the 6th century B.C.E. • The second major step occurred early in the 5th century B.C.E. when Aeschylus added a second actor • This allowed face-to-face conflict on stage As soon as one actor stepped out from the chorus, drama as we now know it was born! Image: http://quoteaddicts.com/topic/greek-chorus-quote/ 5