Greek%20Theatre

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Greek Theatre

• Power Point by Amity Ecker
• Grossmont High School

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Golden age of Greece

• Achievements in politics, philosophy, science,
  and the arts (including theatre)
• Athens birthplace of democracy (except that only
  male citizens had a voice)
• Pythagoras formulated theorem in geometry
• Philosophers Socrates and Plato helped found the
  study of world around us

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Greek Theatre

• Originated in Greece in the 6th century B.C.
• Began as a worship of the god Dionysus--gt god of
  Wine Fertility
• DITHYRAMB was an ode to Dionysus.
• It was usually performed by a CHORUS of fifty men
  dressed as SATYRS-- mythological half-human,
  half-goat servants of Dionysus.

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How it began

• The CHORUS chanted and danced around an alter
  which held a sacrificial goat.
• As they danced, they sang the TRAGOS or goat
  song.
• The word TRAGOS ---gt TRAGEDY which we still use
  today.

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How it evolved

• These festivals turned into competitions for who
  had the best goat song.
• First contest was won by THESPIS
• He was the first one to step from the chorus and
  engage in dialoguethis made him the first actor
  ever! THESIPS is origin of term THESPIAN
• THESPIS also introduced the usage of MASKS

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Greek Masks

• Greek masks portrayed characters emotions
• When emotion changed, the actor would change masks

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How it evolved

• The festivals lasted 5-6 days
• Festivals were government organized
• 11 months before the festival, a CHOREGUS would
  be appointed each playwrightslike a producer
• The playwrights were the directors who chose the
  actors and chorus

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How it evolved

• On the last 3 days, there were 4 performances
  each day, 1 comedy and 3 tragedies in a trilogy
• Stories would develop from Greek myths
• The function of the chorus was to explain
  situations and make commentary

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Parts of the theatre

• Orchestra circular area where actors and chorus
  performed
• Skene small hut behind orchestra for changing--gt
  eventually developed into a building
• Machina crane used to lower actors onto
  stage/flying effects for god characters
• Parodos entrance/exit
• Altar table in center of orchestra for
  sacrificial goat

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Greek theatre of Epidauros
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Deus ex Machina

• Deus ex Machina god from the machine
• Now refers to a device for resolving conflict at
  the last minute/resolving plot difficulties
• Originally, a god would fly in and resolve the
  action in the scene
• Today, it can be anything that resolved the
  action
• ex a letter that explains some puzzle in the
  storyline

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• Conflicts stemmed from a clash between

Will of the gods vs Desires of humanity
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Aeschylus

• Added a 2nd actor
• Reduced chorus from 50 to 10 men
• Wrote 70-90 plays (only 7 remain)

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Sophocles

• Raised number in chorus to 15 men from 10
• Added a 3rd actor (with masks, they could play up
  to 7 or 8 parts)
• Master of plot construction
• Won first prize 18 times at festival
• Wrote Oedipus and Antigone

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Euripedes

• Moved away from stories about gods to human
  nature
• Sympathetic portrayal of women
• Used more Realism in plays