The History of Drama

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The History of Drama
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I. Before the Theater
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A. When and Where

1. Greece
2. Prior to the 6th c. B.C.

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B. What

• Oral tradition - narration
• Stories of legendary heroes
• No acting

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C. Who

• Greek rhapsodist a professional who went from
  place to place reciting stories of legendary
  heroes
• Homer
• Greek poet who lived during the 9th or 8th c.
  B.C.
• Wrote the two most famous epic poems that were
  recited by the rhapsodists
• Iliad
• Odyssey

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D. Why

• Entertainment
• A way of spreading ideas

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Greek Drama
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A. When and Where

• 6th c. B.C.
• Athens, Greece
• During ceremonies to honor the Greek god Dionysus
• Later during theatrical competitions
• Amphitheaters

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B. What

• In the beginning
• Chorus a group of fifty men and boys who danced
  and chanted lines in unison
• Called a goat-song or tragos which is the basis
  for the word tragedy
• Later
• Thespsis
• stepped out from the chorus and engaged them in
  dialogue
• Became the first actor (thespian actor)
• Mostly tragedies

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C. Who

• Aeschylus
• Increased the number of actors
• Reduced the size of the chorus
• Considered the father of tragedy
• Sophocles
• Refined the plot structure to create a more
  unified work
• Allowed his characters to question fate and the
  wills of the gods
• Wrote Oedipus Rex (considered by Aristotle to be
  the ideal tragedy)

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C. Who (cont.)

• Euripides
• More interested in peoples lives than in the
  religion of those days
• Emphasized human relationships
• Became a master of pathos human sorrow and
  compassion
• Aristophanes
• Skilled satirist a style of comedy that
  presents humorous attacks on accepted conventions
  of society, holding up human vices and follies to
  ridicule
• Mocked the leaders of Athens and the gods
• Wrote Lysistrata an attack on war

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D. Why

• Religious worship
• To show humanitys place in the world and the
  consequences of individual actions

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Roman Theater
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A. When and Where

• 3rd c. B.C.
• Roman Empire
• Amphitheaters
• State-financed free to the public
• Most famous the Colosseum

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B. What

• An imitation of Greek drama
• All classical Roman tragedy was based on Greek
  plays
• Example Senecas Oedipus was in essence
  Sophocles Oedipus Rex with the addition of a
  ghost scene.
• Roman comedy derived from Greek New Comedy
• The majority of original Roman dramas
• Were comic representations of daily life
• Focused on comical business rather than the
  development of plot or character
• Contained plots that were concerned with mistaken
  identity, clever servants, young lovers and old
  men with complaining wives

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C. Who

• Plautus
• Roman comedian
• Helped develop the stock character a
  stereotypical character whose behavior,
  qualities, or beliefs conform to familiar
  dramatic conventions
• Terence
• Praised for creating a smoother, more elegant
  work than Plautus
• Also helped to develop the stock character
• Seneca
• Beginning in the 1st c. A.D.
• Wrote closet dramas plays that were meant to be
  read rather than acted

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D. Why

• Entertainment
• To gain favor with the Roman mob
• Theater was later replaced with gladiator fights,
  wild-beast shows and chariot races in the Roman
  empire.
• To prevent the decay of the empire

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IV. Medieval Drama
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A. When and Where

• From the 5th to the 13th c. A.D.
• Began with the decline of the Roman Empire
• Ended at the dawn of the Renaissance
• Europe
• Churches
• Pageant Wagons

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B. What

• Liturgical plays
• A question-and-answer song performed by monks on
  Easter
• Sung in Latin
• Later included priests, choirboys and nuns
• Later translated into the vernacular
• Later performed on Christmas and other religious
  holidays
• Miracle plays or saint plays
• Based on the legends of the saints and their
  lives
• Performed in the vernacular
• Began to be performed outside of the church

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B. What (cont.)

• Mystery plays
• Based on biblical history
• Example Passion Play addresses the last week
  of Christs life
• Morality plays
• Allegories
• Dealt with right and wrong, usually in the
  context of the devil and God battling for souls
• Presented by the church outside of the church
• Not associated with a specific holiday
  celebration
• Example Everyman

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C. Who

1. Monks
2. Priests, choirboys and nuns
3. Church members
4. Secular drama companies associated with the
   church
5. Secular drama companies supported by the nobility

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D. Why

• To help church members understand and relate to
  the Bible
• To show the consequences of human actions
• Entertainment

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V. Renaissance Drama
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A. When and Where

• Beginning in Italy in the 13th c.
• Spread to the rest of Europe in the 15th c.
• Playhouses
• Example the Globe Theater

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B. What

• Italian Drama
• Began as weak imitations of classical plays with
  cheap obscenities and poorly constructed scripts
• Theater architecture and stage equipment became
  more developed
• Colored and perspective lighting was introduced
• Operas
• An attempt to revive the simplicity and humanism
  of ancient Greek drama
• Introduced music to drama, emphasizing the words
  with a solo vocal line and simple instrumental
  accompaniment

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B. What (cont.)

• English Drama
• An expression of the soul of the nation
• Became a vital force in the lives of the people

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C. Who

• Christopher Marlow
• Introduced blank (unrhymed) verse
• Wrote Doctor Faustus about a man who sells his
  soul
• Ben Jonson
• A master of English comedy
• Paid much attention to the humors
• William Shakespeare
• Considered the greatest playwright of all time
• Wrote Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar
• The Globe Theater

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D. Why

• Entertainment