Greek Theater

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Greek Theater
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Overview of Greek Theater

• The land

• Antigone

• The Theater

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The Land

• Greece has thousands of inhabited islands and
  dramatic mountain ranges

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The Land

• Greece has a rich culture and history

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The Land

• Democracy was founded in Greece

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The Land

• Patriarchal (male dominated) society

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The Land

• Philosophy, as a practice, began in Greece
  (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

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The Land

• Located in Europe in the Aegean Sea

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The Land
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The Land
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Overview of Greek Theater

• The land

• Antigone

• The Theater

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The Theater
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Theatron
Seating for audience
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Orchestra
Dancing Place where chorus sang to the audience
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Thymele
altar to Dionysus in center of orchestra where
sacrifices were made
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Skene
wooden scene building used as a dressing room.
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Parados
entrance to the theater used by the Chorus
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The Theater
Six Main Portions of Greek Theater Proskenion
where most of the action took place also served
as a backdrop
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The Stage
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Dionysus

• God of Wine and Partying (Revelry)

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The Theater

• Greek plays were performed during religious
  ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the Greek
  god of wine and revelry (altars generally on
  stage)

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The Theater

• Business would shut down for days, people would
  travel from all around to see the drama
  competitionseven prisoners were temporarily
  released to see the plays

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The Theater

• Tragedy means goat song (relates to Dionysian
  rituals)

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The Theater
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
In an amphitheatre
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
With a chorus who described most of the
action.
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
With masks
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
Each morning, one of the playwrights presented
three tragedies and a satyr play.
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
That afternoon, another playwright presented a
comedy.
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Where and how were the dramas performed?
This went on for three days and then a winner
was chosen.
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Major Greek Dramatists
Dramatist Born Wrote
Aeschylus 524 B.C. Seven Against Thebes
Sophocles 496 B.C. Antigone Oedipus
Euripides 480 B.C. Medea
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How were the dramas developed?

• Thespis was the first playwright to tell a story.
  He had one chorus member step away from the
  others to play the part of a hero or god.

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How were the dramas developed?

• Aeschylus added a second individual actor to the
  performance, thus creating the possibility of
  conflict.

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How were the dramas developed?

• Sophocles adds a third actor now we have
  full-blown drama.

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Overview of Greek Theatre

• The land

• Antigone

• The stage

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Sophocles Antigone

• Is based on the myth of Oedipus

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Sophocles Antigone

• Oedipus is given away by his parents, Laios and
  Jocasta when they learn from an oracle that their
  son would kill his father and marry his mother.

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• The ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice
  and pray to an ORACLE.
• An oracle was a priest or priestess who would
  send a message from the gods to mortals who
  brought their requests.

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The Oracle at Delphi
Most famous oracle in Greek mythology.
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Sophocles Antigone

• Oedipus learns of the oracle and believing the
  king and queen of Corinth are his parents, he
  leaves to avoid the oracle.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Oedipus travels to Thebes, killing Laios on the
  way. He saves the city from a terrible monster,
  the Sphinx.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Thebes reward him by making him king and giving
  him the queen to marry.

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Sophocles Antigone

• A plague hits the city and the oracle warns that
  it wont go away until the killer of King Laios
  is punished.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Oedipus investigates and finds out he killed his
  father and married his mother.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Oedipus blinds himself and Jocasta kills herself.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Set in Thebes (a city in ancient Greece)

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Sophocles Antigone

• Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Antigones brothers, Eteokles and Polyneces, were
  to rule in alternate years.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Eteokles refused to give up the throne for
  Polyneces at the end of his year.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Polyneces went to Argos and raised an army to
  gain the throne.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Eteokles and Polyneces killed each other in
  battle.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Antigones uncle, Creon, became king of Thebes.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Antigones uncle, Creon, gives Eteokles, his
  ally, a heros burial and issues a decree against
  burying Polyneces.

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Sophocles Antigone

• Antigone believes that he is wrong and that both
  of her brothers should be buried with honor.

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Sophocles Antigone

• The conflict between Antigone and Creon is the
  basis for the play.

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Copy Only The Boxed Portion!
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The End
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Euripides Medea

• Medea is a princess from Colchis
• Medea marries Jason, who is in Colchis on a quest
  for the Golden Fleece
• Medea betrays her father and murders her brother
  for her love of Jason
• Medea has magical powers
• Jason takes Medea back to his homeland, Corinth,
  where they have children
• Jason takes another wife, the king of Corinths
  daughter

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Jasons Voyage on the Argo
Jason and Medea meet
Corinth Where Jason and Medea settle down
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Myths played a key rolein Greek drama
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The Myths Why they were written

1. Explained the unexplainable
2. Justified religious practices
3. Gave credibility to leaders
4. Gave hope
5. Polytheistic (more than one god)
6. Centered around the twelve Olympians (primary
   Greek gods)

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Explained the Unexplainable

• When Echo tried to get Narcissus to love her, she
  was denied.
• Saddened, she shriveled to nothing, her existence
  melting into a rock.
• Only her voice remained.
• Hence, the echo!

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To justify religious practices

• Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to
  worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and
  wine.

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To give credibility to leaders

• The Romans used myths to create family trees for
  their leaders, enforcing the made-up idea that
  the emperors were related to the gods and were,
  then, demigods.

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Mount Olympus
Where the Olympians lived. Who are
the Olympians?
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The Olympians Are the 12 Main Gods
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Temperaments of the Olympians
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Zeus

• King of gods
• Heaven
• Storms
• Thunder
• lightning

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Poseidon

• Zeuss brother
• King of the sea
• Earthquakes
• Horses

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Hades

• Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
• King of the Underworld (Tartarus)
• Husband of Persphone

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Ares

• God of war

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Hephaestus

• God of fire
• Craftspeople
• Metalworkers
• Artisans

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Apollo

• God of the sun
• Music
• Poetry
• Fine arts
• Medicine

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Hermes

• Messenger to the gods
• Trade
• Commerce
• Travelers
• Thieves scoundrels

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Hera

• Queen of gods
• Women
• Marriage
• Childbirth

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Demeter

• Goddess of Harvest
• Agriculture
• Fertility
• Fruitfulness
• Mom to Persephone

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Hestia

• Goddess of Hearth
• Home
• Community

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Athena

• Goddess of wisdom
• Practical arts
• War

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Aphrodite

• Goddess of love and beauty

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Artemis

• Goddess of hunting and the moon.