Ancient Greek Theatre Project
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
As preparation for reading Sophocles’
play Antigone, the Women in Literature
students attended the Queensborough
Community College performance of his
play, Oedipus Rex.
To further understand the Ancient
Greek Theatre, students chose specific
topics related to the time and the
theatre.
Requirements



Students followed the directions for the
Project from the Hillcrest High School
English Department web site.
Students received instruction through
the Internet and email.
Students used APA documentation for

their PowerPoint Presentations.
Ancient Greek Theatre Project
Presenting
ELL2-01
Advance by using the arrow keys or left click the mouse.
The removal of student names complies with the IAUP.
Ancient Greece
A Woman’s Daily Life
Table of contents
A Woman’s Daily Life
Women’s Duties
Woman At Work
Women’s Dresses
Greek Religion
Goddesses
Special Ancient Greek Dishes
References
Women’s Duties
Greek women had no political rights at all,
and were controlled by their husbands in
almost every part of their life. The urban
women’s most important duties were to have
children, preferably male, and to take care of
the house. The responsibility of women in the
rural area included them harvesting olives and
fruit. Yet, in both the rural and urban areas the
woman had to weave their clothing, cook food
for their family, and manage their slaves.
Woman At Work
The first image shows a young woman
in the kitchen cooking and the second
picture is a loom which the Greek woman
used to make clothing.
Women’s Dresses
The Greek Woman’s Clothing
Peplos was a
woman’s dress made
of wool.
Chiton was the most
commonly worn
garments.
Dress
The Greek women’s clothes were
mostly made in their home from wool or
flax that were available in their area. The
two commonly worn garments were called
chitons or tunic and the himation or cloak.
Greek Religion
The ancient Greeks were very religious
people. The Greeks worshipped many
Gods, some of which they believed
showed themselves in human form, but
have superhuman strength and beauty
that never fades. The Greek literature that
was written about the gods and goddesses
were called the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Goddesses
Aphrodite is the
goddess of sexuality
and erotic love .She
was born as a sea
goddess and also
worshipped as one.
Special Ancient Greek Dishes
The Greeks had a very healthy diet.
they ate a lot of bread, beans, and
olives. Greeks lived very near the sea
that is why they ate a lot of fish, squid
and shellfish.
Special dishes
Cuttlefish with leeks
Baked eggplants with Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic
References
Ancient Greeks Campus, Anglia. (2003-06).Retrieved May 17,2006, from http://www
.angliacampus.com/public/pri/history/greeks/page17.htm
The Ancient Greek World. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology. (2002). Retrieved May 17,2006, from http://www.museum.upenn
.edu/greek_world/Index.html
Construction of the Greek
Theater
An ancient beginning of modern
plays
Location of Greek theaters
This theater was placed at Mt.Parnassus which is near
the temple of Opollo. Since the Greek people had drama
that was related with religion the location of this theater is
placed near a religious place.
A Greek Theater Today!
This is the theater of Opollo once again as it is
seen today. The stones have started to fade away
and because of it’s condition this theater has become
an historical monument.
Layout of Greek theater’s
This is the actual layout of the first Greek theater it
became the layout for every Greek theater which remained
mostly the same from late 6th century BC to the 4th and 3rd
centuries BC.
The Sequence of Greek Plays
Prologue
Parodos
First Episode
First Stasimon
Exodos





The Prologue is the mythological background information needed in order to
understand the play.
The Parodos is sung by the chorus when they first enter the play along with the
orchestra .
The first episode is when the character’s and chorus talk.
The first Stasimon occurs after every episode when the chorus starts singing
after the characters leave.
The exodos is a song sung by the chorus which tells the outcome of the play
this occurs after the play is over.
Why were Skenes used?
To the far right side of this picture a tent called a skene
can be seen this is where the actors kept their masks and
costumes and was where the actors were to change their
clothes.
References
Aristophanes, R.G. (1979). Greece and Rome New Surveys in the Classics, 13. Retrieved May 16, 2006 from
http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Theater.html
Brown, Kevin. (2001). Geographicus. Retrieved May 15, 2006 from http://www.geographicus.
com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Theatre-white-1793-M.jpg 4
Ng, Justin. (1970). Lacation: Seattle, Washington Retrieved May 14, 2006 from http://www
.letsblocking.com/justin/uploaded_images/IMG_1591-748576.jpg
Raia, Ann. (1975). Theater of Apollo from the stadium. Retrieved May 14, 2006 from http://www.vroma.org/
images/raia_images/delphi_theater1.jpg
Raia, Ann. (1975). Theater orchestra viewed form top seats. May 16, 2006 from www.vroma.org/
images/raia_images/epidaurus4.jpg
The Greek God:
Dionysus
Multiple Names
God
of Wine
Resurrection God
The Wanderer
 Roman God Bacchus
History
Dionysus was fortunate to survive birth.
Zeus, the weather god, rescued Dionysus
from the womb of his mother as she lay
dying. Then, he stitched him into his thigh,
carrying him there until the baby was ready
to be born.
Further History
Hera, Zeus’ wife and sister who is the goddess of
marriage and birth, had the newborn Dionysus
killed by Titan assassins who tore him to bits
and boiled the pieces of his body in a great
cauldron. Miraculously, he was resurrected by his
grandmother though in some accounts it was by
his half sister, Athena and was entrusted to the
goddess Persephone for safekeeping. Persephone,
the goddess of the underworld, in turn hid him
with the king and his wife.
Images
References
Apiryon T. (1999) Ordo Templi Orientis. Retrieved May 12, 2006, from http://www.hermetic.com/
sabazius/dionysus.html
Dean Gordon. (1998) The Olympians. Retrieved May 12, 2006, from http://www.mythweb.com/gods/Dionysus.html
Gross Rachel and Grote Dale. (2003) Dionysus. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.pantheon.org/
articles/dionysus.html
Lewis & Clark College.(2006) Images. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.lclark.edu/~ndsmith/
sculpture.html
Lichtenfels Lisa.(2005) Images. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://home.earthlink.net/
~jcarruth/persephone.html
Macary Maggie.(2005) Images. Retrieved May 15, 2006,from http://www.mythandculture.com/weblog/
2005_04_01_archive.html
Wilson Pip.(2001) Images. Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/
dionysus_bacchus.html
Masks of Ancient Greek
Theater
Introduction
A mask is a form of disguise. It is an object that is frequently
worn over or in front of the face to hide the identity of a
person and by its own features to establish another being.
This essential characteristic of hiding and revealing
personalities or moods is common to all masks. As cultural
objects, they have been used throughout the world in all
periods since the Stone Age and have been as varied in
appearance as in their use and symbolism.
Images of the Greek masks
HISTORY OF GREEK MASKS
Masks have been designed in innumerable varieties, from the
simplest of crude “false faces” held by a handle to complete
head coverings with ingenious movable parts and hidden
faces. Mask makers have shown great resourcefulness in
selecting and combining available materials. Among the
substances utilized are woods, metals, shells, fibers, ivory,
clay, horn, stone, feathers, leather, furs, paper, cloth, and corn
husks. Surface treatments have ranged from rugged simplicity
to intricate carving and from polished woods and mosaics to
gaudy adornments.
HISTORY OF GREEK MASKS
Masks generally are worn with a costume, often so
complete that it entirely covers the body of the wearer.
Fundamentally the costume completes the new identity
represented by the mask, and usually tradition prescribes its
appearance and construction to the same extent as the mask
itself. Costumes, like the masks, are made of a great variety of
materials, all of which have a symbolic connection with the
mask's total imagery. Ideally the costume should be seen with
the mask while the wearer is in action.
HISTORY OF GREEK MASKS
The morphological elements of the mask are with few exceptions
derived from natural forms. Masks with human features are classified
as anthropomorphic and those with animal characteristics as
theriomorphic. In some instances, the mask form is a replication of
natural features or closely follows the lineaments of reality, and in other
instances it is an abstraction. Masks usually represent supernatural
beings, ancestors, and fanciful or imagined figures and can also be
portraits. The localization of a particular spirit in a specific mask must
be considered a highly significant reason for its existence.
History of Greek Masks
The change in identity of the wearer for that of the mask is
vital, for if the spirit represented does not reside in the image
of the mask, the ritual petitions, supplications, and offerings
made to it would be ineffectual and meaningless. The mask,
therefore, most often functions as a means of contact with
various spirit powers, thereby protecting against the
unknown forces of the universe by prevailing upon their
potential beneficence in all matters relative to life.
How to Make a Mask:
To make paper Mache:
1) Mix water with white flour until it makes a paste (a little thinner than
glue). Remember, you can always add water or flour, so don't get upset if your
mixture is too thick or too thin.
2) Tear newspaper into strips. If you're at school, and there isn't enough
newspaper for everyone, the brown paper towels in your school bathroom will work
just as well, and even turn out a little smoother than the newspaper. (Those of you
using newspaper might want to put a layer of paper towels over the newsprint when
you're finished.)
3) Dip the newspaper (or paper towel) strips into the flour-water mixture, so that
the entire strip is covered.
References
Introduction. (2004). Retrieved May 13, 2006, from http://www.anymask.com/historyofmask.html
Image. (n.d.) Retrieved May 13, 2006, from http://cgi.ebay.com/Ancient-Greek-Art-Theater-Masks-ComedyTragedyLBL_W0QQitemZ9316209770QQcategoryZ553QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Image. (n.d.). Retrieved May 13, 2006 from http://cgi.ebay.com/Ancient-Greek-Art-Theater-Masks-Comedy-DramaBLL_W0QQitemZ9316209840QQcategoryZ553QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Image. (n.d.) Retrieved May 14, 2006 from http://cgi.ebay.com/bearded-mask-greek-zeus-jupiter-sculptureclassical_W0QQitemZ9320220212QQcategoryZ553QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Image. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2006, from http://cgi.ebay.com/ZEUS-WALL-FOUNTAIN-PLAQUE-cast-iron-GREEKTRAGEDY-MASK_W0QQitemZ7415212544QQcategoryZ4708QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Image. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2006, from http://cgi.ebay.com/GREEK-THEATER-MASKS-MUSEUMCOPYWALLHANGING_W0QQitemZ9301449671QQcategoryZ553QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewIte
m#ebayphotohosting
Greek Theatre:
Costumes in Ancient
History
The Costume:
How It All Came To Be
Around 1,200 B.C., waves of
Dorian invaders came into Greece
from Illyria, on the east of the
Adriatic and brought about the
downfall of the Mycenaean
civilization. The following four
centuries are known as the “Dark
Ages” of Greece. The period
started with a civilization of people
dressed in bell-shaped skirts and
tightly fitted bodices, and ended
with a race dressed in draped
clothes, the costume we now
associate with the Greeks and the
Romans. From this period on, this
style of costume has been used.
Lighting, Properties and
Costumes
The sun provided lighting. Torches were used,
more as properties in order to heighten the
power of the appearance of certain passages or
characters. The surroundings around the actors
determined the size of character the actors
wanted to portray in the play. For example, if an
actor was playing a dwarf, it’s surrounding props
would be made much larger than him to create
the appearance that he was small. It was hard
for the audience to see the facial expressions of
the actors because they were too small to see.
Lighting, Properties and
Costumes
Gestures had to be large and sweeping and
costumes had to be large and flowing in order to
allow free, athletic movement, and to make a strong
visual impression upon the audience. The actor’s
role in a play was determined by the type of mask
they wore. Masks were an important part of theater
up until the seventeenth century. In the tragedies,
these types were few and simple. There was the
protagonist, the noble man/woman; the messenger;
the sightless seer, and the serious or careworn man,
the figure of respect and responsibility.
Masks
The origin of masks, in Ancient
Greece, came from the ancient
Dionysian cult. The first writer to
use masks in his plays was
Thespis. Actors and chorus
members, both, wore masks.
Although they differed entirely,
especially from the leading actors.
Actors had to change their
masks, in many occasions, during
the play, to be able to portray
more than one character. The use
of masks, along with costumes,
also helped the men portray
women in plays, because women
were not allowed to set foot on
the orchestra. This was because
the people of Ancient Greece
considered the orchestra to be
holy and sacred.
References
Englert, Walter. (2004, July). Ancient Greek Theatre. Retrieved May 16, 2006,
from http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Theater.html
Karayannakos Elias. (2000). Retrieved May 18, 2006, from http://users
.panafonet.gr/ekar/
Women in Literature
GREEK DRAMA


Drama is an art from that tells a story through the speech and
actions of the characters in the story. Most drama is performed
by actors who impersonate the characters before an audience
in a theater.
Drama was reborn in Ancient Greece. Much of our knowledge
of Greek theater comes from archaeological studies and
historical writing of the time. By the 600’s B.C. the Greeks
were giving choral performances of dancing and singing at
festivals honoring Dionysus. The earliest record of Greek
drama dates from about 534 B.C. when a contest for tragedy
was established in Athens.
GREEK DRAMA
Tradegy and comedy
 Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr Plays
 Three types of drama which were
composed in Athens.
Comedy concerns average, or below
average, people who enjoy a transition
from bad circumstances to good and
who speak everyday language. Greek
playwrights did not mix tragedy in the
same play. There are two types of
comedy, one is old comedy and the
other one is new comedy. The most
comedies written after 338 B. C. are
called new comedy.
Greek Drama
Tragedies were part of a religious festival to Dionysus.
Originally, it was associated with religious celebrations
being solemn, poetic, and philosophic. Almost all the
surviving tragedies were based on myths. Greek tragedies
consisted of a series of dramatic episodes separated by
choral odes. The episodes were performed by a few actors,
the actors wore masks to indicate the nature of the
characters they played. The poetic language and the
idealized characters suggest that Greek acting was
dignified and formal. One of the most famous Greek
tragedy writer is Aeschylus, he wrote many Greek
tragedies. He was a master of the trilogy, a dramatic form
consisting of three tragedies that focus on different phases
of the same story.
References
Denault, Leigh T. (2003). The glory that was Greece. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from
http://www.watson.org/~leigh/rivendellmoving.html
What is a CHORUS?
The chorus offered background and summary
information to help the audience follow the
performance, commented on main themes, and
showed how an ideal audience might react to the
drama as it was presented.
 They also represent the general populace of any
particular story. The chorus usually communicated
in song form, but sometimes the message was
spoken.
 The people who sing the CHORUS would walk
back and forth across the stage chanting religious
hymns.

Example of a women’s CHORUS
History


The Western dramatic plays traditionally has its origins in ancient
Greece. The precise evolution of its main divisions consisted of
tragedy, comedy, and satire( mix critical attitudes with humor) that
is not definitely known. According to Aristotle, Greek drama or more
explicitly, Greek tragedy, originated in the dithyramb. This was a
choral hymn to the god Dionysus and involved the exchanges
between a lead singer and the chorus. It is thought that the
dithyramb was sung at the Dionysian, an annual festival honoring
Dionysus.
The tradition has it that at the Dionysian of 534 B.C., during the
reign of Pisistratus, the lead singer of the dithyramb, a man named
Thespis, added to the chorus an actor with whom he carried on a
dialogue, initiating the possibility of dramatic action. Thespis is
credited with the invention of tragedy. Eventually, Aeschylus
introduced a second actor to the drama and Sophocles a third,
Sophocles' format being continued by Euripides the last of the great
classical Greek dramatists.
CHORUS-Greek Tragedy
CHORUS-Greek Satire
SATIRE means to apply any work of literature
or art whose objective is ridicule. It is more
easily recognizable than defined. From ancient
times satirists have shared a common aim
which is to expose foolishness in all its guises
hypocrisy, idolatry, sentimentality and to effect
reform through such exposure. The many
diverse forms their statements have taken
reflect the origin of the word satire.
CHORUS-Greek Comedy

This scene from
Aristophanes' Birds shows
the aulos-player (aulete)
and members of the
chorus. Old Comedy, like
Greek tragedy, has a
singing, dancing chorus
who are characters in the
play. In Middle Comedy,
the chorus becomes more
separate, and often sings
entr'actes that have
nothing to do with the
play; later, the chorus is
dropped altogether.
References
Greek chorus. (2006, May). Retrieved May 1 8, 2006, from www.wikipedia
.org/wiki/
Ravenwood, Alyssa. (2004). Chorus Image Greek. Retrieved May 16, 2006,
from http://www.ravenwoodmasks.com/theater-masks
Wikimedia Foundation Inc. (2006, May). Satire. Retrieved May 22,2006, from
www. wikipedia.org/satire
Ancient Greek Comedy
Old Comedy
(First form of Greek Comedy)
• Old Comedy
– In 450 B.C., old comedy began to take its
shape in history. In 510 B.C., old comedy’s
comic drama would gain a hearing from
tragedy all its most attractive features; its
choral dances, its masked actors, its meters,
its scenery and stage mechanism.
Middle Comedy
(Second Form Of Greek Comedy)
• Middle Comedy
– The difference between old and middle
comedy is not clearly mark, but the difference
from the first form, Middle comedy had no
chorus, public characters were not
personated on the stage and its ridicule were
general rather than personal, literary rather
than political.
New Comedy
(The Final Form of Comedy)
• New comedy
– Which lasted throughout the reign of the
Macedonian rulers, for the first time love
became the principal element in the drama.
The characters were not different from the
ones in middle comedy. New comedy, being
the final form of Ancient Greek comedy, left a
list of plays that would shape modern day
comedy.
References
Bates, Alfred. (2002). Retrieved May 17, 2006, from http://www.theatrehistory.com /
ancient/bates002.html
Matthews, Brander. (2002). Retrieved May 18, 2006, from www.theatrehistory.com/
ancient/comedy001.html
Ancient Greek Comedy. (2006). Retrieved 18, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Greek_comedy
Sophocles
Sophocles - The man
Sophocles (SAHF uh KLEEZ) was in born in
496 BC in a rural deme (town) of Colonus
Hippius, Attica. He was born a few years before
the Battle of Marathons took place in 490BC.
Sophocles was the son of a wealthy merchant.
He died in 406 BC at the age of 90.
The Man Continued

Since everyone
thought he was such
a ‘cutie’ Sophocles
found himself
becoming overly fond
of women. He often
found himself being
charmed by them
and ended up doing
things he should not
have.

He was also
overly fond of
alcohol and
was even
chastised for
this by
Aristophanes.
Sophocles-The writer

Sophocles was the 2nd of 3 great Greek writers
of tragedy, Aeschylus the 1st and Euripides the
2nd. Mainly, all of Sophocles plays dealt with a
strong individual in a struggle against fate.
Usually within these plays, the individual would
pick a course different from everyone opinion
which would lead to death. In the end, the
character was recognized as something noble.

Aristotle once said “Aeschylus portrays
individuals as they are. Sophocles portrays
individuals as they should be.”
~The Myths~
Sophocles wrote a total of 120 plays,
only seven survived:
 Production
of Ajax
Antigone
 Trachiniai
 Oedipus Tyrannos
 Electra
 Philoctetes
 Oedipus at Colonus
 Part of The Trackers was found in 1907

References
The Colombia Encyclopedia Sixth Edition. (2004,January). Sophocles. Retrieved May 18,
2006, from http://www.bartleby.com/65/so/Sophocle.html
Moonstruck Drama. (n.d.). Sophocles. Retrieved May 17,2006 from http://www
.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc1.htm
Wikipedia. (2002,February). Sophocles. Retrieved May 18, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia
.org/wiki/Sophocles
ELL2-01
Women in Literature
English Elective
5th Period
Instructor: Ms. Sirsky
Uploaded June 6, 2006
Hillcrest High School English Department
Ms. Sirsky, Webmaster