Theater
Many words associated with theatre have roots in Greek. Theater
comes for the word theatron meaning "seeing place". Drama comes
form the word dran meaning "to do" Many dramas were presented in
the theater in Athens, yet only forty-three plays have been found
intact. There were, however, many plays, comedies, and
commentaries left in fragments.
Athens was the main center for these theatrical traditions. Athenians
spread these festivals to its numerous allies in order to promote a
common identity. The Greek theatre history began with festivals
honoring their gods. The god, Dionysus, was
honored with a festival called by "City
Dionysia". Dionysus was the god of fertility
(main duty), wine and agriculture. In Athens,
during this festival, men used to perform
songs to welcome Dionysus. Plays were only
presented at City Dionysia festival. Actors,
directors, and dramatists were all the same
person. After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in
each play. Later a few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform onstage. Due to limited number of actors allowed on-stage, the chorus
evolved into a very active part of Greek theatre. Music was often
played during the chorus' delivery of its lines.
There were two major types of Greek plays. There was tragedy, which
was derived from the word tragos and means goat. The other one was
comedy, which was derived from the word odé and means song. A
tragedy received its name from how it was performed. A tragedy had
actors who wore goatskins and danced like goats. They were stories
about suffering. Not all of them had unhappy endings. However, they
all pointed out that though people suffered, most individuals were able
to carry on despite their suffering. Three well-known Greek tragedy
playwrights of the fifth century are Sophocles, Euripides and
Aeschylus.
Comedy was also an important part of ancient Greek theater. Greek
comedies were about the present. Originally, comedies poked fun at
politicians and leaders, but later, did away with the chorus and started
to poke fun at a certain kind of person. One of the greatest writers of
Greek comedy was Aristophanes. he found something funny about
everyone.
The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes
of hills. They consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the
skene, and the audience. The centerpiece of the theatre was the
orchestra, or "dancing place", a
large circular or rectangular area.
The orchestra was the site the
choral performances, the religious
rites, and, possibly, the acting.
Behind the orchestra was a large
rectangular building called the
skene. It was used as a "backstage"
area where actors could change
their costumes and masks, but also
served to represent the location of
the plays, which were usually set in
front of a palace or house. These structures were sometimes painted
to serve as backdrops, hence the English word scenery. Rising from
the circle of the orchestra was the audience. The theatres were
originally built on a very large scale to accommodate the large number
of people on stage, as well as the large number of people in the
audience, up to fourteen thousand. The audience sat on tiers of
benches built up on the side of a hill. Greek theatres, then, could only
be built on hills that were correctly shaped.
The cast of a Greek play was comprised of
amateurs, not professionals. The casts were allmale. With such a large space to fill, ancient Greek
actors could not be subtle in their acting. They had
to gesture grandly so that the entire audience could
see and hear the story. However, most Greek
theaters were cleverly constructed to transmit even
the smallest sound to any seat. The actors were so
far away from the audience that without the aid of exaggerated
costumes and masks, they would be difficult to see. The masks were
made of linen or cork, so none have survived. Tragic masks carried
mournful or pained expressions, while comic masks were smiling or
leering. The shape of the mask amplified the actor's voice, making his
words easier for the audience to hear.
The Theater in
Ancient Greece