ORIGIN OF TRAGEDY
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Religious festivals in honor of Dionysus
Dionysus was one of the most important gods in
everyday life and was known for rebirth after death:
• The festival for Dionysus is in the spring when the
leaves begin to reappear on the vine.
• One of the most important events of the year.
• Its focus became the theater. Most of the great
Greek plays were initially written to be performed at
the feast of Dionysus.
• All writers, actors, and spectators who took part
were regarded as sacred servants of Dionysus
during the festival.
• The parts of an ancient tragedy play include:
• The epic
• The lyric
• The dancing
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DITHYRAMBS
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Dithyrambs were frenzied, impassioned choral lyrics
of ancient Greece honoring Dionysus
and dance
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Hymn to Dionysus, a choric song accompanied by flute
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Performed by a Chorus of 50 men
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Greek tragedies were known as goat-songs
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The prize in an Athenian play competition was a live goat.
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The contests were part of worship to Dionysus, involving chants and dances in his honor.
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Sometimes the goat would be sacrificed, and a goat lament sung as the sacrifice was made.
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Others believe that in the plays themselves men and women would wear goat-costumes to
dress up as satyrs—half-goat beings that worshipped and surrounded Dionysus.
Goat-Songs
THESPIS (534 B.C. - ?)
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First actor in Greek drama; inventor of Tragedy , moral stories meant to be
cathartic (purification that brings about spiritual renewal or release from
tension, often through art)
Name was recorded as first to stage a tragedy at Dionysia (c. 534 B.C.)
Tragedy was entirely choral until Thespis introduced the Prologue and the
Internal Speeches, making Thespis the first to interweave choral song with
an actor’s speeches
Dialogue began when the actor (Thespis) exchanged words with the leader
of the chorus (choragus)
Greek word for “actor” is hypocrites, which means “answerer” or
“interpreter; he answers the questions of the chorus, evoking their songs;
he responds with a long speech about his own situation or, when he enters
as messenger, with a narrative of disastrous events
Thespis walked around Athens pulling a handcart, setting up one-man
plays, where he showed the bad behavior of man.
AESCHYLUS (525 B.C. – 425 A.D.)
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While working in a vineyard in his first job, he fell asleep. Dionysus appeared to him in a dream
urging him to focus on tragic arts.
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His earliest tragedy, composed when he was 26, failed to win the prize, and it was not until
fifteen years later that he gained his first tragic victory.
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Gaining distinction in military battles as well, he celebrated the glorious contests which he had
witnessed, winning the prize in the tragic contests. Though defeated by Sophocles at his first
attempt, the veteran Aeschylus regained his position with a trilogy, making his supremacy
undisputed.
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He is now termed the real “father of tragedy.”
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His most magnificent contribution to the tragedy may be adding a second actor to the stage
and diminishing the chorus’ importance, this making the dialogue independent of the Chorus.
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He provided many spectacular elements, including improving costumes, making masks more
expressive, and probably adopting the performers’ height, and establishing the custom of
competing for the prize with trilogies, or a series of three independent dramas.
“Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny.”
AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon
SOPHOCLES (495 B.C. – 406 B.C.)
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The beginning of his career was marked by a victory in over Aeschylus. The rivalry was not between
two works, but between two styles of tragic art - Sophocles’ poetry and plays assumed a mellower
tone, a more touching pathos, a sweeter and gentler mode of thought and expression.
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He continued to write tragedies and dramas for 60 years, with 180 plays attributed to him.
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He added third actor further curtailed the chorus in explaining the plot, fixing it at15, and
expanding the use of dialogue with greater emphasis on character development and conflict; and
introduced painted scenery, greatly increasing the spectacular effect.
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In the management of his subjects he was unrivaled, no one understanding so well the artistic
development of incident, the secret of working on the feelings, the gradual culmination of the
interest when leading up to the final crisis, and the crushing blow of the catastrophe, overwhelming
the spectators with terror or compassion. Elements of a Plot Diagram
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He was filled with reverence for his country's gods, by whom he believed himself inspired.
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Only 7 of his dramas have survived to be passed on.
THE OEDIPUS CYCLE
• Antigone (pronounced Ann-tig-o-knee) is a name taken from the stories that are
collectively called The Oedipus Cycle.
• The first person to record these stories on paper was Sophocles, but he didn't write
them; they are based on stories that were handed down by word of mouth for a very
long time.
• The Greek Tragedy genre of literature is purposely written to provoke extreme emotions
of sadness, hate, happiness, despair, etc. in the audience. The Greeks believed that by
watching these plays and feeling these emotions together in a group, they would be
able to be more balanced emotionally in their "real lives" and less likely to fall victim to
violent emotions, which would impair their judgment. This was considered good for
society.
• The Greeks believed that you could learn from the mistakes of others, but that things
were largely decreed by the Gods. They believed that foolish things like pride and ego
were a sin, and that if you were not willing to take advice and learn from the wisdom of
others, you were doomed to failure and misery.
• Oedipus is a prime example of this sentiment.
The Oedipus Cycle:
Oedipus Rex – 430 B.C.
Oedipus at Colonus – 401 B.C.
Antigone – 441 B.C.
EURIPIDES (486 B.C. – 406 B.C.)
Satirized many of the major figures of Greek mythology; his cynical view of the gods
suggested a time of growing disenchantment with the Greek pantheon
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More modern than Aeschylus or Sophocles;
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his plays focused on the inner lives and motives of his characters, which had
been unknown to Greek audiences
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without clear conviction in the beneficence of the gods, chaos rather than order
seems to win out
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First to utilize strong female characters and intelligent slaves – pointing to
egalitarianism
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Reduced the participation of chorus in main action
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Humanized his characters and made conflicts more real
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Relied on heavy prologues & deus ex machina endings – intervention from heaven
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“One loyal friend is worth ten thousand
relatives.”
Euripides
THEATRE OF DIONYSUS
STRUCTURE OF THEATER
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Theatron – place where audience sat
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Orchestra – circular dancing place where actors and Chorus performed
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Logeion – some theatres also had a raised speaking place on the orchestra
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Thymele – altar to Dionysus in center of orchestra
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Skene – a backdrop or scenic wall, which hung or stood behind the orchestra, which also served as an area
where actors could change their costumes; the death of a character was always heard behind the skene,
because it was considered inappropriate to show a killing in view of the audience; by the end of the 5th century
B.C., the skene was two stories high.
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Episkenion – the upper story of the skene
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Proskenion – façade of skene building which served as backdrop
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Paraskenia – after 426 B.C . a stone long stone scene wall with projecting sides , which may have had
doorways fro entrances/exits, became a common supplement to the skene in the theatres.
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Proskenion – just behind the paraskenia was the proskenion ("in front of the scene"), which was beautiful
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Parodos – tall arched entrances through which actors and chorus members entered and exited the orchestra
STRUCTURE OF THEATRE
HYPOCRITES - THE ANSWERER
Acting in Ancient Greece
•Actor and dramatist originally the same - playwright took leading role
•Never have more than three actors
•The cast of a Greek play in the Dionysia was comprised of amateurs, not professionals
•All male performers
•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.
•Ancient Greek actors had to gesture grandly so that the entire audience could see and hear
the story. However most Greek theatres were cleverly constructed to transmit even the smallest
sound to any seat.
COSTUMES
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Long, flowing robes - colored symbolically
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High boots, often with raised soles to elevate them.
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Costumes were a very important factor of the production, because they could
determine the characters by gender or social status.
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In the early productions actors used body painting but slowly they started using
animal skins, ears, even feathers.
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To play female roles, since the actors were always men, they were wearing a
“prosterneda” (in front of the chest) and “progastreda” (in front of the belly).
MASKS
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Exaggerated features; larger than life and made of linen, wood, cork
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Identified age, gender, emotion, roles
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The use of masks draw their origin from the ancient Dionysian cult,
masks were worn. Thespis was the first writer to use a mask.
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The members of the chorus wore masks, usually similar to each other but completely
different from the leading actors.
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Because the number of actors varied from one to three, they had to put on different masks
to play different roles.
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The mask could give to the character some sort of universality, creating an average figure,
so that the audience would judge him on his actions and not his appearance
where
CHORUS - MUSIC AND DANCE
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Chorus
• Sets mood and expresses theme
• Adds beauty through song and dance
• Gives background information
• Divides action
• Offers reflections on events
• Questions, advises, expresses opinion
• Music & Dance
• Musical accompaniment for choral odes – flute, lyre, percussion
• Dance defined as expressive rhythmical movement
ARISTOTLE’S THREE UNITIES OF DRAMA
1. Unity of action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.
2. Unity of place: a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to
compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.
3. Unity of time: the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours.
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Aristotle asserted that a play must be complete and whole; it must have unity – a beginning,
a middle, and an end.
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He also asserted that the action of epic poetry and tragedy differ in length, "because in
tragedy every effort is made for it to take place in one revolution of the sun, while the epic is
unlimited in time."
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These unities were considered key elements of the theatre until a few centuries ago,
although they were not always observed (such as by authors such as Shakespeare)
MESSENGER
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Messenger at climactic junctures in each play. Each Messenger brings appalling and
shattering news (acts of violence or death) that occurred away from the scene that is deeply
disturbing for the audiences and henceforth reflects on this shock.
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The Messenger gives the audience an insight into the character's thought process and the
effect it produces on other characters.
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The Messenger also recreates the dramatic exchanges in dialogue between the characters,
hence sustaining the interest of the audience. These techniques serve not only to help
portray the scene but also give insight into characters and create a terrifying atmosphere
whereby the audience is left in awe.
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Messenger speeches give the playwright the capacity to comment and report on the violent
consequences of the previous plot development. Without it, the audience would lack a great
deal of understanding and appreciation on the play's underlying themes and issues, thus
detracting from the overall worth of the tragedy. The messengers raise the excitement level,
and simultaneously contribute to a smooth flow and dramatic value of the play.
LIMITATIONS OF THEATRE
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Continuous presence of chorus “on stage”
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No intermissions; no lighting; no curtains
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Only three actors could perform on the stage at a given time, though they could fulfill multiple
roles. Other actors could be on the stage, but they must remain mute.
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No deaths occurred on the stage; murders/suicides were never shown to the audience. Instead,
a platform on wheels brought the actors, playing dead bodies, out to the audience.
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Actors and playwrights competed for prizes, but after 449 B.C., playwrights did not act in plays or
perform in contests, which prevented playwrights from competing in more than one category.
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In ancient Greece, women, foreigners and slaves could not take part in the Athens Theater.
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In some cities, attending the theater was a civic duty.
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Plays were highly related to religion and were based on history or myth. The Greeks held dramas
during special occasions, such as the worship of the Gods. Until 450 B.C., all drama was
performed in honor of god Dionysus and was held in the spring, in the City of Dionysia.
SUMMARY: FEATURES OF ANCIENT GREEK TRAGEDY
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Suffering: Tragedy revolves around a tragic hero who suffers misfortune.
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Cleansing: In his Poetics, Aristotle wrote about the qualities of tragedy, which include a catharsis or “cleansing.”
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Religious: Greek tragedy was performed as part of an estimated 5-day Athenian religious festival.
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Honored Dionysus: The Great Dionysia, the name of this festival, was held from the end of March to mid-April.
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Competitions: The dramatic festivals were centered around “competitions,” agones.
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Prizes: Three tragic playwrights competed for the prize for the best series of three tragedies and a satyr play.
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Myth: The subject matter was usually from mythology.
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History: The first surviving full play was the history-based play The Persians, by Aeschylus.
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Not bloody: Violence usually occurred offstage.
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The Original Thespian: The first competition is thought to have been held in 535 B.C. at which time Thespis, the person
credited with the first speaking role, won.
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Limitations: There were rarely more than a chorus and 3 actors, regardless of how many roles were played. Actors changed
their appearance in the skene.
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Why Masks?: The theaters were so large that actors couldn't count on people in the back seeing facial expressions.
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No microphones needed: Actors needed good projecting voices, but the theaters also had impressive acoustics.