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Ancient Greek Drama

Ancient Greek Drama. Four Qualities of Greek Drama. Performed for special occasions (festivals) Competitive -- prizes awarded -- early prizes were goats Choral -- singing seems to have been important part -- a chorus of men begins play by chanting an ode

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Ancient Greek Drama

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  1. Ancient Greek Drama

  2. Four Qualities of Greek Drama • Performed for special occasions (festivals) • Competitive -- prizes awarded -- early prizes were goats • Choral -- singing seems to have been important part -- a chorus of men begins play by chanting an ode • Closely associated with religion -- plays based on myth or history

  3. Drama Developed from the Worship of Dionysus • God the grape vine, wine making, ecstasy, death, rebirth, human & agricultural fertility • Invented wine & spread art of tending grapes • Good & gentle to worshippers • Brought madness & destruction to those who opposed him

  4. Called Bacchus by Romans • Died each winter; reborn in spring • Cults worshipped him in spring • Hera had the Titans kill him, but Rhea brought him back to lifer later • Depicted as bearded youth, wearing crown of grapes & Holding a cup of wine & often a wand

  5. Birth of Dionysus • Son of the god Zeus and the mortal Semele • Semele asked Zeus to show himself and by doing so she burst into flames • Before she died, Zeus took Dionysus from her womb • Implanted embryo into his thigh and baby born from there

  6. Dionysus’s Wanderings • Wandered world showing people how to grow grapes, make & drink wine • Once kidnapped by pirates because they thought they could ransom him

  7. Turns Pirates into Dolphins • Any rope that touched him fell apart • One of the men realized he was a god & wanted to free him • Captain refused to release him & tried to sail away, but the boat wouldn’t move • Wine vine entangled ship; Dionysus turned into lion & chased men into sea • He turned them into dolphins

  8. Other Happenings • Wandered around Asia spreading vineyards and his religion with a group of satyrs and maenads • Flayed alive the king of Damascus • Chased amazons • Turned a group of women mad and set them loose on king Pentheus whose own mother tore his head off in the frenzy

  9. Worship of Dionysus • Cult religion in his honor began in Thrace around 1200 BC. • Spread across Greece during next 600 years • Early rituals included intoxication, orgies, human and animal sacrifices. • At first women primary worshippers, called maenads. • Maenads would go into forest, wear animal skins

  10. Rituals of the Cult • Play music and dance about wildly • May eat raw animal meat • Men dressed as satyrs, half man, half goat, sometimes would join • Celebration is half wild party, half holy communion with nature, which represented Dionysus

  11. Rituals Evolved into Drama • Cults created controversy and towns outlawed them • Athens embraced the cult and created more civilized ceremonies • By 600 BC the rites were practiced every spring throughout Greece

  12. Dithyramb Beginnings of Drama • The rituals began with a dithyramb, an ode to Dionysus, which a chorus of 50 sang • 50 men dressed as satyrs would play music and dance around a statue of Dionysus chanting • Some accounts say they wore phallus-like headgear

  13. Early Drama • From odes, evolved drama about 600 BC • Arion of Mehtymna credited with recording first dithyramb • Thespis, father of drama, added an actor (himself) to interact with chorus • 534 BC, celebration included a drama competition which Thespis won

  14. The competition included three tragedies and one satyr play • Tragedy designed to teach a religious lesson • Tragedy derives from Greek words for goat and song • Satyr plays ridiculed gods & heroes • Satyr plays shorter in length and used every day & colloquial language • Only one exists in full today Cyclops by Euripides

  15. Amphitheatres Constructed • Around 484 BC, governments built large open-air theaters • 3 minimal requirements: built into a hill, provide good view, offer flat performance area • Largest one 17,000 seats

  16. Parts of the Theatron • ikria - wooden seats for spectators • orchestra - circular performance area • thymele - alter where sacrifice occurred • logeion - raised stage • Skene - dressing room & backdrop • Parados - hallway for arrivals and departures

  17. Parts of Ancient Theaters

  18. Producing Ancient Drama • Two mechanical devices. • Ekkyklema - a wheeled cart used to show the results of events that happened off stage • Mechane - a crane device used to give actors the appearance of being a god, angel or spirit leaving earth • All actors were men wearing large masks which helped identify sex, age, social status of characters

  19. Aeschylus, the First Playwright • Turned the dithyramb into drama • Added a second actor • introduced props and scenery • reduced chorus from 50 to 12

  20. Sophocles • Born around 495 BC in Colonus, Greece • Died 406 BC • Wrote more than 120 plays, but only 7 remain today • Won 1st prize 24 times in festival • Ideas for plays derived from myths

  21. Won first place for the first time at age 28. When he was 90, his son Iophon wanted to have him ruled mentally incompetent so that he could gain control of the family estate. Sophocles read part of his new play, Oedipus at Colonus, and the jury dismissed the case. Famous for Oedipus trilogy: King Oedipus (2) , Oedipus at Colonus (3), Antigone (1)

  22. Major Contributions • Added painted scenery • Increased the size of the chorus from 12 people to 15 people • Increased the number of actors from 2 to 3 • Plays emphasize drama between humans rather than between humans and gods • Plays are about the folly of arrogance and the wisdom of accepting fate

  23. Structure of Greek Drama • Prologue – gives background of story, usually performed by single actor • Parados – entrance of the chorus, usually chanting a lyric which has relation to theme • Episode – Usually have 4 similar to acts • First Stasimos – choral ode at end of each episode • Exodos – ceremonial exit of players

  24. The Story of Oedipus • King Laius of Thebes marries Jocasta • Oracle warns that their new son would kill his father & marry mom • To avoid this, Lauis pierces baby’s feet & tells a shepherd to put baby on the mountain

  25. Oedipus • Shepherd gave baby to a herdsman of King Polyobus of Corinth who gave the baby to his king • Polyobus raises Oedipus as his own child • As a teen Oedipus heard rumors about dad • Oracle tells him about the old prediction • Oedipus leaves Corinth to escape killing Polyobus and goes to Thebes

  26. Oedipus Solves Riddle of the Sphinx • On way to Thebes solves the riddle of the sphinx which leads it to jump off a cliff • Laius & Oedipus meet on the road and neither man would allow the other to pass • Oedipus kills him

  27. Oedipus King of Thebes • Receives a hero’s welcome at Thebes • Citizens believe Laius was killed by robbers • Encourage him to marry Jocasta • They have four children: Antigone, Ismene, • Eteocles, Polyneices • Rules for many years; Plague falls on land • Oracle because real murderer of Lauis not punished

  28. Oedipus Finds Truth • Learns the truth of what happened • Blinds himself and Jocasta hangs herself • Creon, Jocasta’s brother, banishes Oedipus • Antigone helps her father wander the land • No town would welcome him because of his sins • Finally, Theseus welcomes him to Athens

  29. Family Tree for Oedipus

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