ENGLISH II

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Introduction to Antigoneand Early Greek Theater

• ENGLISH II
• MRS. MURPHY

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What comes to mind when you hear the word Greece?
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What do you think of when you hear the word
theater?
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Origins of Drama

• Drama began during the sixth century, B.C. as
  part of a religious festival that was intended to
  honor the god Dionysos, the god of wine,
  agriculture and fertility. These festivals were
  held annually in March and followed certain
  rituals, or patterns. Festival goers spent an
  entire week drinking wine and worshiping the
  phallus. The early Greeks also spent much time
  singing chants (while very drunk) in order to
  praise Dionysos.

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Origins of Drama

• While drunk and singing these songs of praise,
  worshipers also danced around an altar. This
  group of people were called a chorus. Eventually
  a man named Thespis began to write down these
  songs and revised them so that they would tell a
  story.
• After a while Thespis decided to have one member
  of the chorus step away from the others to play
  the part of a hero or god. He wore a special
  mask and began talking to the chorus. This was
  the first character!

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Continuing Changes in Drama

• The modern theater we know today has his origins
  in Greek drama as well. A man named Aeschylus
  decided to add a second character to the
  performance. The second character allowed
  conflict to be shown on the stage. Now that
  conflict was able to be seen on stage, drama as
  we know it was born.

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The First Greek Theaters
The first theaters were all outdoors and were
called amphitheaters. Many resembled a
semi-circular football stadium. Seats were
carved out of stone on a hillside. The stage
area was at the bottom and was where the chorus
members sang and danced around an altar.
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What were early Greek plays about?

• When many think of ancient Greece, they imagine
  white pillars and elaborately dressed gods and
  goddesses in a calm and serene setting. The
  early Greek plays were anything but calm and
  dealt with topics such as war, murder, lust, and
  betrayal.
• These early plays were also either a tragedy or a
  comedy.

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Parts of a Greek Theater

• The earliest Greek theaters had four major parts
• the orchestrathe circular area of the theater
  where the actors would sing and dance
• the theatronwhere attendees would sit to view
  the action
• the paradosa long narrow passageway that actors
  used to make entrances and exits
• the skenea building located behind the stage
  that was designed to look like a temple, palace
  or other structure needed. It served as a prop
  and also allowed actors to make entrances and
  exits

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Costumes and Props in Early Greek Drama

• Actors in these early plays did not rely on
  elaborate costumes to tell the characters apart.
  Instead they used huge masks to distinguish
  between characters.
• Using masks also allowed actors to play one than
  more role. The only costume change involved was
  adding a new mask.
• The masks had very large mouthpieces that
  amplified the sound of the actors voices, and
  often had large eye openings as well. (Remember
  no microphones were available during this time.)
  These masks usually represented familiar
  characters that would be easily recognized by the
  audience.

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Greek Masks (cont.)

• Colors were used in the masks as well to convey
  emotion. Most were some shade of red since there
  were made of terra cotta.
• Wigs were also frequently added to help
  distinguish between characters.
• Today the symbols of the mask has come to
  symbolize theater worldwide.

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Examples of Greek Masks
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The First Actors

• The first actors were all men, despite whether
  their role was male or female.
• To represent a female character, the actor would
  use a mask with womanly features.
• Because it was quick and easy to change the masks
  that distinguished characters, actors often
  played several roles within a single play.

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Assignment Time

• Today we discussed the origins of Greek drama,
  and we learned that the actors relied on masks to
  help the audience distinguish between characters
  in the play.
• Create a mask that could have been used by
  these early Greeks. You may choose whether your
  character is male or female, but your mask must
  demonstrate the key characteristics of the early
  Greek masks. After your mask is complete, write
  a paragraph that explains why your mask is like
  those of the early Greeks.