The Golden Age of
Ancient Greek
Theatre
the origins of drama
The Origins Of Drama
 Created to celebrate
Dionysus, the ancient Greek
god of the grape
harvest, winemaking and wine,
and ritual madness and ecstasy.
 He was also known
as Bacchus, the name adopted
by the Romans
drama
 The term comes
from a Greek
word dran
meaning
"action," which
is derived from
“to do.”
Thespian
 from the name
Thespis, the first
person ever to
appear on stage as
an actor playing a
character in a play
the chorus
15 men
Sang lyric poetry
Performing was regarded as a civic duty
Wore robes and masks
Functions of the chorus
 an agent: gives advice, asks, takes part
 establishes ethical framework, sets up
standard by which action will be judged
 ideal spectator - reacts as playwright hopes
audience would
 sets mood and heightens dramatic effects
 adds movement, spectacle, song, and dance
 rhythmical function - pauses / paces the
action so that the audience can reflect.
The
Theatre
of
Dionysus
 The first plays were performed in the Theatre of
Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in
Athens at the beginning of the 5th century
 These theatres proved to be so popular they soon
spread all over Greece.
Amphitheatres
 Plays were performed out-of-doors.
 The side of the mountain was scooped out
into a bowl shape, something like our
amphitheatres today, and tiers of stone
seats in concentric semi-circles were built
on the hill.
 These theatres often seated as many as
20,000 spectators, with a special first row
being reserved for dignitaries.
Theatron
 The theatron (literally, "viewing-place")
is where the spectators sat. The theatron
was usually part of hillside overlooking
the orchestra and often wrapped around a
large portion of the orchestra.
Orchestra
 The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was
normally
circular. It was
a level space
where the chorus
would dance, sing,
and interact with
the actors who were on the stage (called the
Proskenion - proh-SKAY-nee-on) in front of
the skene. In the center of the orchestra there
was often an altar.
Skene
 The skene - SKAY-nay
 (literally, “tent") was the building
directly behind the stage in
which costumes were stored, and was
usually
decorated as a palace or building, depending
on the needs of the play. It had at least one
set of doors, and actors could make
entrances and exits through them.
Origination of the word “scene.”
The Actors
 All of the actors were men. No
girls allowed.
 The actors played multiple
roles, so a wooden, cork, or
linen mask was used to show
the change in character or
mood.
The masks were worn for many
reasons :
1. Visibility
2. Acoustic Assistance
3. Few Actors, Many Roles
4. Characterization
Modern-day replicas
Hero-King
Comedy
(Servant or Herald )
Tragedy
(Weeping Chorus)
Working in the Space
 Because of the distance between
actors and the audience, the actors
used broad gestures and histrionic
speech.
 The actor made himself taller by
wearing thick-soled shoes and a
high head piece.
 The masks assisted in projecting the
actor’s voice through a type of
inside megaphone.
Costumes




Consisted of standard Greek attire
Chiton: a sleeveless tunic belted below the breast
Himation: draped around the right shoulder
Chlamys or short cloak: worn over the left shoulder
The deus-ex-machina DAY-uhs eks ma-kuh--nuh (god from the
machine) was a crane-like device occasionally used for
lowering in a god to assist the protagonist
in neatly solving his problems.
The City Dionysia Festival
 In the sixth century BC, the Athenian ruler,
Pisistratus, established the 'City Dionysia,' a
festival of entertainment held in honor of the
god Dionysus.
 This festival featured competitions in music,
singing, dance, and poetry.
 Playwrights presented a series of three
tragedies (a trilogy).
 Interspersed among the three plays in the
trilogy were satyr plays.
The City Dionysia Festival
 The entire city would be in attendance.
 All other businesses not directly
involved with the 6-day festival would
shut down so that everyone could
attend.
 The government even offered financial
assistance to those who could not afford
to attend.
Myths played a key role
in Greek drama
The Myths – Why they were
written
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Explained the unexplainable
Justified religious practices
Gave credibility to leaders
Gave hope
Polytheistic (more than one god)
Centered around the twelve
Olympians (primary Greek gods)
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!
To justify religious
practices
 Dionysian cults in ancient
Greece were founded to
worship Dionysus, god of
grapes, vegetation, and
wine. “All hail the party god!”
To give credibility to
leaders
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.
To give hope
 The ancient citizens of
Greece would sacrifice
and pray to an ORACLE.
 An oracle was a priest
or priestess who would
send a message to the
gods from mortals who
brought their
What is the origin of hope?
requests.
After unleashing suffering, famine,
disease, and many other evils, the last
thing Pandora let out was HOPE.
Mount Olympus…
…Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the
Olympians?
The
Olympians
Are the 12
Main Gods
The Olympians
Zeus
 King of gods
 Heaven
 Storms
 Thunder
 lightning
Poseidon
Zeus’s
brother
King of the
sea
Earthquakes
Horses
Hades
Brother to Zeus
and Poseidon
King of the
Underworld
(Tartarus)
Husband of
Persphone
Ares
God of war
Athena
Goddess of wisdom
Practical arts
War
Hephaestus
God of fire
Craftspeople
Metalworkers
Artisans
Apollo
God of the sun
Music
Poetry
Fine arts
Medicine
Hermes
 Messenger to the
gods
 Trade
 Commerce
 Travelers
 Thieves &
scoundrels
Dionysus
God of Wine
Partying
(Revelry)
Hera
Queen of
gods
Women
Marriage
Childbirth
Hestia
Goddess of Hearth
Home
Community
Demeter
Goddess of Harvest
Agriculture
Fertility
Fruitfulness
Mom to Persephone
Aphrodite
Artemis
Goddess of hunting
and the moon.
Goddess of love
and beauty
Types of Greek Drama
 Comedy
 Satyr
 Tragedy
 Comedy and tragedy were the most
popular types of plays in ancient Greece.
Hence, the modern popularity of the
comedy and tragedy masks to symbolize
theatre.
Word Origin
 The word “comedy” comes from the
Greek word “komos” which means
“band of revelers.”
Comedies
 Not admitted to Dionysus festival until very
late into the Greece’s golden age - 487 B.C.
 The first comedies were mainly satirical and
mocked men in power for their vanity and
foolishness
 The first master of comedy was the playwright
Aristophanes
 Style: exaggerated, farcical, focus on sensual
pleasures
Satyr Plays
 These were short plays
performed between the
acts of tragedies. They
made fun of the plight of
the tragedy's characters.
 The satyrs were mythical
half-human, half-goat
servants of Dionysus.
Word Origin
 Does the term Satyr
remind you of any
modern day term?
 The Satyr and the Satyr
plays spawned the
modern word “satire.”
Tragedy
 The word tragedy
came to be
derived from the
Greek tragos
(goat) and ode
(poem). Tragedy
literally means
goat song or goat
poem.
Why read Tragedy?
 Strength of
character
 Perseverance
 Courage
 Inspiration
 The dignity of
the human spirit
Aristotle’s
“Poetics,” An
essay about
drama in
which he
discusses
tragedy and
the tragic
hero
Traits of the central character of a
tragedy – tragic hero
• of the Elite Class / mighty figure
• suffers a Downfall / reversal of fortune
• Neither Wholly good
nor wholly evil
• Downfall is the
result of a
Fatal Flaw
• Endures uncommon
suffering
• Recognizes the consequences of his
actions
Traits of the a tragedy
• Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are
friends
• Tragic actions take place offstage
• Central Character has a moment
of recognition – “Oh, now I get it!”
• Audience experiences pity and fear
• Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis
• Frequently used messengers to
relate information
•
Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretations
of
events
•
Focus was on psychological and ethical attributes of
characters,
rather than physical and sociological
Sophocles
The Greatest of the
Greek playwrights
Sophocles (496-406 bc)
 His plays are more character-driven
rather than choric
 He is credited with adding a third
character
 His works include: Oedipus Rex,
Antigone, and Electra
 Sophocles’ surviving plays (written
after 440 B.C.) are deeply troubling
 These plays depict characters caught
up in unsolvable dilemmas that test
their faith in divine and human justice
Oedipus the King
OEDIPUS REX
 one of the world’s
greatest tragedies
 Said by Aristotle to be
the perfect tragedy
 The audience was
familiar with the myth
of Oedipus, so there
would be dramatic irony
when watching the play
OEDIPUS REX - Background
 Sophocles opens his play
with a situation very
familiar to the people of
Athens:
a plague
with no
end in
sight!
Themes & symbols









Sight vs. Blindness
Fate vs. Free Will
Action vs. Reflection
The Quest for Identity or Self
The Nature of Innocence and Guilt
The Abuse of Power
Sins of the Father
Even the Mightiest Can Fall
Crossroads
The Oedipus Myth
 The myth of Oedipus — which also
appears briefly in Homer — represents
the story of a man's doomed attempt to
outwit fate.
 Sophocles‘s tragedy dramatizes
Oedipus‘s painful discovery of his true
identity, and the despairing violence the
truth unleashes in him.
 Warned by the oracle at Delphi that
their son will kill his father, King Laius
and Queen Jocasta of Thebes try to
prevent this tragic destiny.
Delphi
The Oedipus Myth
 Laius pierces his son's feet and gives him
to a shepherd with instructions to leave
the baby in the mountains to die.
 But pitying the child, the shepherd gives
him to a herdsman, who takes the baby
far from Thebes to Corinth.
 There, the herdsman presents the child
to his own king and queen, who are
childless.
 Without knowing the baby's identity, the
royal couple adopt the child and name
him Oedipus ("swollen-foot").
The Oedipus Myth
 Oedipus grows up as a prince of
Corinth, but hears troubling
stories that the king is not his real
father.
 When he travels to Delphi to
consult the oracle, Oedipus learns
the prophecy of his fate, that he
will kill his father and marry his
mother.
The Oedipus Myth
 Horrified, he determines to avoid
his terrible destiny by never
returning home.
 Near Thebes, Oedipus encounters
an old man in a chariot with his
attendants.
 When the old man insults and
strikes him in anger, Oedipus kills
the man and his servants.
The Oedipus Myth
 The old man, of
course, is
Oedipus‘s father,
Laius, but
Oedipus does
not realize this.
 Outside Thebes,
Oedipus meets
the monstrous
Sphinx, who has
been terrorizing
the countryside.
The Oedipus Myth
 The Sphinx challenges Oedipus with
her riddle: "What goes on four feet
at dawn, two at noon, and three at
evening?" Oedipus responds with the
right answer ("A man") and the
monster destroyed herself.
The Oedipus Myth
 The Theban people proclaim him a hero,
and when they learn that Laius has been
killed, apparently by a band of robbers,
they accept Oedipus as their king.
 Oedipus marries Jocasta, and they have
four children. Thus, despite all his
efforts to
prevent it,
Oedipus
fulfills
the dreadful
prophecy.
The Final Curtain
 By the time of Sophocles’s death in 406 BC,
the golden era of Greek drama was ending.
 Athens was overrun in 404 BC by the
Spartans and was later torn apart by
constant warring with other city states,
eventually falling under the dominion of
Alexander the Great and his Macedonian
armies.
 Theatre went on but did not return to the
same creative heights until Elizabethan
England two millennia later.