The Golden Age of Ancient Greek Theatre

1. The Golden Age of Ancient Greek Theatre the origins of drama

2. The Origins Of Drama • Created to celebrate Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and ritual madness and ecstasy.  • He was also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by the Romans

3. drama • The term comes from a Greek word dran meaning "action," which is derived from “to do.”

4. Thespian • From the name Thespis, the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play

5. the chorus • 15 men • Sang lyric poetry • Performing was regarded as a civic duty • Wore robes and masks

6. Functions of the chorus • an agent: gives advice, asks, takes part • establishes ethical framework, sets up standard by which action will be judged • ideal spectator - reacts as playwright hopes audience would • sets mood and heightens dramatic effects • adds movement, spectacle, song, and dance • rhythmical function - pauses / paces the action so that the audience can reflect.

7. The TheatreofDionysus • The first plays were performed in the Theatre of Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the 5th century • These theatres proved to be so popular they soon spread all over Greece.

8. Amphitheatres • Plays were performed out-of-doors. • The side of the mountain was scooped out into a bowl shape, something like our amphitheatres today, and tiers of stone seats in concentric semi-circles were built on the hill. • These theatres often seated as many as 20,000 spectators, with a special first row being reserved for dignitaries.

10. Theatron • The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra.

11. Orchestra • The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage (called the Proskenion - proh-SKAY-nee-on) in front of the skene. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar.

12. Skene The skene - SKAY-nay (literally, “tent") was the building directly behind the stage in which costumes were stored, and was usually decorated as a palace or building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. Origination of the word “scene.”

13. The Actors • All of the actors were men. No girls allowed. • The actors played multiple roles, so a wooden, cork, or linen mask was used to show the change in character or mood.

14. The masks were worn for many reasons : • 1. Visibility • 2. Acoustic Assistance • 3. Few Actors, Many Roles • 4. Characterization

15. Modern-day replicas Hero-King Comedy (Servant or Herald ) Tragedy (Weeping Chorus)

16. Working in the Space • Because of the distance between actors and the audience, the actors used broad gestures and histrionic speech. • The actor made himself taller by wearing thick-soled shoes and a high head piece. • The masks assisted in projecting the actor’s voice through a type of inside megaphone.

18. The deus-ex-machina DAY-uhs eks ma-kuh--nuh(god from the machine) was a crane-like device occasionally used for lowering in a god to assist the protagonist in neatly solving his problems.

19. The City Dionysia Festival • In the sixth century BC, the Athenian ruler, Pisistratus, established the 'City Dionysia,' a festival of entertainment held in honor of the god Dionysus. • This festival featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and poetry. • Playwrights presented a series of three tragedies (a trilogy). • Interspersed among the three plays in the trilogy were satyr plays.

20. The City Dionysia Festival • The entire city would be in attendance. • All other businesses not directly involved with the 6-day festival would shut down so that everyone could attend. • The government even offered financial assistance to those who could not afford to attend.

21. Types of Greek Drama • Comedy • Satyr (SATIRE) • Tragedy • Comedy and tragedy were the most popular types of plays in ancient Greece. Hence, the modern popularity of the comedy and tragedy masks to symbolize theatre.

22. Tragedy • The word tragedy came to be derived from the Greek tragos (goat) and ode (poem). Tragedy literally means goat song or goat poem.

23. Why read Tragedy? • Strength of character • Perseverance • Courage • Inspiration • The dignity of the human spirit

24. Aristotle’s “Poetics,” an essay about drama in which he discusses tragedy and the tragic hero

25. Traits of the central character of a tragedy – tragic hero • of the Elite Class / mighty figure • suffers a Downfall / reversal of fortune • Neither Wholly good • nor wholly evil • Downfall is the • result of a • Fatal Flaw • Endures uncommon • suffering • Recognizes the consequences of his actions

26. Traits of the a tragedy • Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends • Tragic actions take place offstage • Central Character has a moment • of recognition – “Oh, now I get it!” • Audience experiences pity and fear • Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis • Frequently used messengers to • relate information • Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretations of • events • Focus was on psychological and ethical attributes of characters, • rather than physical and sociological

27. SophoclesThe Greatest of the Greek playwrights

28. Sophocles (496-406 bc) • His plays are more character-driven rather than choric • He is credited with adding a third character • His works include: Oedipus Rex, Antigone, and Electra • Sophocles’ surviving plays (written after 440 B.C.) are deeply troubling • These plays depict characters caught up in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human justice

29. Oedipus the King

30. OEDIPUS REX • one of the world’s greatest tragedies • Said by Aristotle to be the perfect tragedy • The audience was familiar with the myth of Oedipus, so there would be dramatic irony when watching the play

31. OEDIPUS REX - Background • Sophocles opens his play with a situation very familiar to the people of Athens: a plague with no end in sight!

32. Themes & symbols • Sight vs. Blindness • Fate vs. Free Will • Action vs. Reflection • The Quest for Identity or Self • The Nature of Innocence and Guilt • The Abuse of Power • Sins of the Father • Even the Mightiest Can Fall

33. The Final Curtain • By the time of Sophocles’s death in 406 BC, the golden era of Greek drama was ending. • Athens was overrun in 404 BC by the Spartans and was later torn apart by constant warring with other city states, eventually falling under the dominion of Alexander the Great and his Macedonian armies. • Theatre went on but did not return to the same creative heights until Elizabethan England two millennia later.