Western Civilization
Greek
Theater
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The Greek Theater
5th Century B. C.
Golden Age of Greek Drama
Dramatic festivals were popular
People witnessed tragic and
comic plays
The Stage
Three Main
Portions of Greek
Theatre:
Skene – Portion of
stage where actors
performed
(included 1-3 doors
in and out)
Orchestra –
“Dancing Place”
where chorus sang
to the audience
Theatron – Seating
for audience
The Stage
The Stage
The Stage
Greek plays were performed during religious
ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the
Greek god of wine and revelry (altars generally
on stage)
Businesses would shut down for days, people
would travel from all around to see the drama
competitions—even prisoners were temporarily
released to see the plays
The word tragedy means “goat song,” which
relates to an act in a Dionysian ritual.
The Stage
Where and how were the dramas performed?
…In an amphitheatre
…With a chorus who
described most of the
action.
…With masks
…With all the fighting
and movement going
on off stage.
….With tragedy first,
then comedy later.
Masks of Greek
Theater
The masks were worn for many
reason including:
1. Visibility
2. Acoustic Assistance
3. Few Actors, Many Roles
4. Characterization
Some general categories of masks
1. OLD MEN
Smooth-Faced, White, Grizzled, Black-Haired, Flaxen and
More Flaxen
2. YOUNG MEN
Common, Curled, More Curled, Graceful, Horrid, Pale
and Less Pale
3. SLAVES
Leathern, Peaked-Beard, Flat Nose
4. WOMEN
Freed Old Woman, Old Domestic, Middle Aged, Leathern,
Pale-Disheveled, Pale Middle Aged, Whorish-Disheveled,
Virgin, Girl
5. SPECIALIST MASKS
Some made for specific characters, others for: Mourning,
Blindness, Deceit, Drunkenness...etc. (The comic masks,
those especially of old comedy, were as like as possible to
true persons they represented, or made to appear more
ridiculous)
Masks of Greek Theater
Masks
of Greek
Theater
Modern-day replicas
Hero-King
Comedy
(Servant or Herald )
Tragedy
(Weeping Chorus)
Theater at Epidaurus
Theater at Epidaurus
Major Greek Dramatists
Aeschylus
524 B.C.
Seven Against
Thebes
Sophocles
496 B.C.
Antigone
Oedipus
Euripides
480 B.C.
Medea
Dramatist
Born
Wrote
Sophocles’ Antigone
Set in Thebes (a city in ancient Greece)
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and
Jocasta
Antigone’s brothers, Eteokles and
Polyneces, took opposite sides in a war
Eteokles and Polyneces killed each other
in battle
Antigone’s uncle, Kreon, became king of
Thebes
Sophocles
Myths played a key role
in Greek drama
The Myths – Why they were written
1. Explained the unexplainable
2. Justified religious practices
3. Gave credibility to leaders
4. Gave hope
5. Polytheistic (more than one god)
6. 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.
Roots in Worship of
Dionysus
God of wine and revelry
Theater of Dionysus
Dionysia was an annual festival
in honor of the god Dionysus
Theater of Dionysus was an
open-air Theater with room
for fifteen thousand spectators
Theater of Dionysus
carved out of a stone hillside
looked like a semicircle with
steeply rising tiers of seats
Theater of Dionysus
Theater of Dionysus
At the bottom was the
rounded orchestra or
performance area where
the chorus sang and danced
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Theater of Dionysus
Behind the orchestra was an
open, almost bare, stage
where actors spoke their
lines from behind huge
masks
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Theater of Dionysus
Male actors performed all the
roles
Actors switched masks to play a
number of roles – both female
and male
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
requests.
Where DID hope come from?
After unleashing suffering, famine, disease,
and many other evils, the last thing Pandora let
out was HOPE.
Oracle of Delphi
Oracle of Delphi
Delphi
The
Storyline
Central
Character is
of the Elite
Class
Central
Character
suffers a
Downfall
Central
Character is
Neither
Wholly
good nor
wholly evil
Downfall is
the result of
a Fatal Flaw
Misfortunes
involve
characters
who are
related or
who are
friends
Tragic
actions take
place
offstage
Central
Character
has a
moment of
recognition
Audience
experiences
pity and
fear
Pity and
Fear leads to
a catharsis
The End