The Theban Plays of Ancient Greece
History of Greek Theater
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Greek drama began as part of
seasonal festivals honoring
Dionysus, the god of wine and
fertility.
Plays were usually produced
in the spring, during the
harvest, which was symbolic
of renewal and rejuvenation.
Stories were well known to the
audience (think Cinderella).
Audiences wanted to see a
fresh take on a familiar story.
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Three tragedies were performed as well as one satyr play, a
comedy about the gods.
The plays were watched in open air amphitheaters (15,00040,000 people).
The plays were judged by a committee and a winner would
be announced. Winners were highly honored.
A bird’s eye view of the theater
Theater above the Temple of Apollo at Delphi
Your view as an audience member would look like…
Because the audience was so huge, and people were often
seated far away from the stage (or orchestra), the actors
needed to make themselves “larger than life.”
So the actors wore masks. Some scholars believe that the
actors also wore high-heeled shoes called kothornoi.
Special Effects in Greek Theater
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The ekkyklema, or “rolled out
thing,” was a mechanical
device to roll out characters
(dead) or other things behind
the scene’s actions.
This helped to prevent gory
or murderous scenes from
taking place on stage.
Special Effects in Greek Theater
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The mechane was a pulley device used to raise actors
in the air, which helped to represent actors flying in air.
The Greek Chorus
The Greek tragic chorus was a group of 15 men who would
sing and dance, but their role was also to:
•respond to the play in a manner the playwright hoped the
audience would (or to represent the ideal spectator).
•reflect on what has happened and what might happen next
(also known as foreshadowing).
•speak to and advise central characters regarding what they
(the main characters) should do.
Images of the Greek chorus
Images of the Greek chorus
Images of the Greek chorus
Interesting fact:
The first “actor” came from the ancient Greek chorus.
According to legend, Thespis of Athens became the first
actor in the Western world when he stepped outside the
Greek chorus and entered into a dialogue with it.
This is why actors are called thesbians.
Sophocles
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He was born around 496 B.C.
during Greece’s golden age,
and died around 406 B.C.
He wrote around 123 plays,
but only seven remain in
existence.
At the age of 28 he won first
prize at the Athens drama
festival and after that never
finished lower than 2nd place.
Sophocles, continued
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He was very interested in
showing how a person’s life
is shaped by his choices and
whims of chance (the fate –
free will debate).
The dangers of excessive
pride (hubris) became a
theme that Sophocles often
touched upon.
The Theban Cycle
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Sophocles wrote three plays, a trilogy, that centered
around the royal house of Thebes (Oedipus the King,
Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone).
Antigone , the third play in the series was actually written
first, then Oedipus the King (the first play), and finally
Oedipus at Colonus (second play).
The three plays are linked together by specific characters
but the themes and issues are drastically different in each.
Elements of Greek Tragedy
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Aristotle, an ancient
Greek philosopher,
studied the plays of his
time and noticed a trend
in the main characters.
Aristotle coined the
phrase tragic hero and
found that many of the
heroic figures contained
similar characteristics.
The Characteristics of a Tragic Hero
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A tragic hero is larger than life and
shows no one is immune to tragedy.
A tragic hero must rise to good
fortune and then fall to death or
defeat.
A tragic hero usually falls because
of a flaw in his/her character known
as a tragic flaw (hamartia).
A tragic hero inspires pity and fear
in his/her audience.
The Tragic Process
The experience of the tragic hero can be outlined as seven
different “steps” in a sequence of actions.
1. Initial Incident: this is the action that gets the play
moving, often some kind of conflict or problem.
2. Rising Action: this event pushes the tragic hero toward his
peak of fortune.
3. Climax: this is the turning point when the tragic hero’s
fortunes begin to turn for the worse.
The Tragic Process, continued
4. Falling Action: this is when the world of the tragic hero
begins to collapse.
5. Anagnorisis: this “moment of recognition” allows the
tragic hero to become aware of what has happened, what
went wrong, and what the truth is. The tragic hero has
suffered from “mental blindness,” mistaking appearance for
reality and clinging to an unreliable truth.
The Tragic Process, continued
6. Catastrophe: despite the tragic hero’s anagnorisis, he or
she cannot prevent the inevitable death or defeat which
results from the mistakes made.
7. Order Restored: this is the time when, after the tragedy
plays itself out, the world manages to keep going; it is the
time when the strength of the human species is demonstrated
because the tragedy teaches all of us but destroys “only” a
few. The audience then walks away with a feeling of
catharsis.