The Origins of Theatre
Ancient Greeks
What did the Greeks contribute to
the modern stage?
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The theatrical form of tragedy
Actors
Theatre space
Trilogy
Masks
Raised theatre to a level of art; very highly
respected
Terms like “scene,” “proscenium,” “thespian,”
and “theatre.”
Where it started…
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Athens: the capital of Greece; named after
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
5th -6th century B.C.
Annual Dionysian festival celebrating spring and
Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
Derived from prayer to Dionysus, the dithyramb
The golden age of Greece
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Athens had rid the
city of dictators and
established the
world’s first
democracy
Rebuilt the city and
built the Parthenon, a
temple to Athena, on
top of the Acropolis
A day at the Dionysus Festival…
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Wild, ecstatic procession bringing the
statue of Dionysus into his theatre
Trilogy of tragic plays
End of the day, a satyr or comedic play to
close the evening
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Satyr: a half-man, half-horse
Hero is placed in a ridiculous situation
Theatre of Dionysus, at the foot
of the Acropolis
The Theatre of
Dionysus
proskenion
skene
three doors
theatron
scenery
altar
orchestra
chorus
Parts of the stage
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Skene: stage house at edge of orchestra; dressing
area for actors to make entrances and exits, hence
the word “scene;” has three formal doors
Proskenion: refers to the arch frame around the
stage; today we call it the proscenium arch
Orchestra: literally means “dancing place;”
circular section on the ground where the chorus
performs
Theatron: literally means “viewing place;” where
the audience is seated; the Theatre of Dionysus
could seat around 17-20 thousand people.
Theatre at Epidaurus
The players
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The Chorus
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unique to Greek theatre
responded and reacted to the actor
similar to a narrator
12-50 members
The effort of dancing and singing through three tragedies
and a satyr play was likened to that of competing in the
Olympic Games
Chanted and danced the dithyramb, the prayer to
Dionysus from which the drama is derived.
Never entered or exited the through the skene
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Actors
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Thespis is considered the first actor, hence the term
“thespian.”
The original word for 'actor' was hypokrites, meaning
'answerer,' for the actor answered the chorus.
Thespis was later called protagonistes (literally 'first
competitor').
The introduction of a second actor (deuteragonistes) is
attributed to Aeschylus and the third (tritagonistes) to
Sophocles.
Ordinarily, each actor would play several different roles
in one production.
Webster’s High School Higher Drama 2007
Technical and Artistic elements
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Music
Dance
Poetry
Masks
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Helped to distinguish between characters
Made it easier to show emotion in large theatre
space
Masks…
Tragedy
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Literally means “goat song”
A serious form of theatre developed by the
Greeks
Involves a hero character who challenges the
gods, but in the end is forced to face the
consequences.
The Greek hero character is described as
honorable and imperfect.
Struggle which usually ends in death
Three tragedy playwrights:
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Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Well known satyr playwright:
Aristophanes
Aeschylus
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Earliest playwright
Focused on big epic dramas; catastrophic
events involving the gods, titans, and kings
Reduced the chorus to 12 members
Introduced a second actor, and, therefore,
invented dialogue
Trilogy called Oresteia:
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Agamemnon
The Libation Bearers
Eumenides
Sophocles
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All characters were essential in his plays
Aeschylus was his teacher
Credited with perfecting the Greek tragedy
Focused on the human struggle
Introduced a third actor
Had a chorus of about 20 members
Trilogy:
 Oedipus
 Oedipus at Kolonos
 Antigone
Euripides
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Wrote about moral and political issues that
were reflective of Athens government
Characters are neurotic individuals, bursting
into uncontrolled violence at evil around them
Involved Feminist issues and had strong
female characters
Trilogy:
 Electra
 The Trojan Women
 Medea
Aristophanes - The father of comedy
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Wrote for the two Athenian dramatic festivals: the
City Dionysia and the Lenea.
Greek Old Comedy, a mix of political, social, and
literary satire in which chorus, mime, and
burlesque played a considerable part.
Characterized by bold fantasy, realistic
characters, merciless invective and outrageous
plots.
 The Birds
Surviving Comedies:
 Lysistrata
 The Clouds
 The Frogs
 The Wasps