Context
•
•
•
•
•
•
Theatre records come from Athens, Greece
Some what misleading
Ritual Theory
The Great Man Theory
The Storytelling Theory
The Dance Theory
Traits of Greek Theatre
•
•
•
•
Closely associated with Greek Religion
Performed on special occasions
Choral-chorus-functions as one character
Competitive
– Three tragedies
– Satyr play
• Subsidized-had a sponsor to help meet the
costs of production
Plays and Playwrights
• Thespis-wrote plays for one character, none of his
work survived, questioned if he is even real,
thespian
• Aeschylus-introduced the second actor, creating
change and conflict, wrote plays in great scope,
Oresteia, heroic, austere characters are his
trademark
• Sophocles-tragedies, third actor, changes in
scenes and costumes, themes of humans
confronting universal order—to be human was to
be potentially a hero of tragedy-Oedipus Rex
• Euripides-not popular while alive, plays are
more realistic, characters were more human,
problems were more mundane; questioned
wisdom of social actions, Medea, father of the
melodrama, reduced the role of the chorus,
language was more conversational, introduced
practices that began standards during the
Hellenistic period.
• Aristophanes-Comic playwright; all but one of
the 12 extant Greek comedies are by him
• Old comedy-political comedy of the period
– Two parts—chorus directly addresses audience
signals division
– Part 1-prolougue and happy idea is introduced
– Part 2-funny episodes and choral songs showing
the happy idea at work
Theatre Building
• Most of the early theatre buildings were not
preserved; Theatre of Dionysus came later
• Orchestra was at the base, the skene, or scene
house was added to the edge of the stage
• Façade Stage-performed in front of what
appeared to be outside of the front of a
building
• Audience-sat outdoors, open to all
Acting
• No more than three speaking actors were on
stage at a time in tragedies and five in
comedies
• Protagonist is the only person competing for
the prize
• The second and third actors expected to take
on multiple roles
• Vocal power and agility are the actor’s best
assets
• Not paid professionals
Settings and Machinery
• Flat
• Eccyclema-movable platform
• Mechane- crane that let the actors fly– Dues ex machina “god from the machine”
Costumes ad Masks
• Masks-enabled audiences to identify quickly
which characters the actors were
• All performers used masks
• Costumes establish
– Ethnicity
– Gender
– Social role
– Comedic effect
The End of Athens’ Golden Age
• Spartan influence
– Censorship
• Alexander the Great
– Hellenistic Period
– Individuality declined
– No more democracy
• Plays were performed throughout Greek
lands, not just in Athens and for other
occasions
Trends
•
•
•
•
•
•
Satyr plays disappeared
Tragedies declined in popularity
Less emphasis of chorus
Sensation, realism and melodrama increased
Comedies remained popular
New comedy-domestic tales of middle-class
life
Hellenistic Period
• Poetics-written in the Hellenistic period
• Supposedly in response to Plato’s condemnation
of theatre
• Building Changed
– Two story skene
– Costumes and masks
• High Headdress (onkos)
• High platform boots (cothurus)
• Miming
• Greco-Roman period followed the collapse of AG
Empire and the Hellenistic Period