Theater History
Take notes now.
No really, this will be on a test.
Seriously,
I know there was no test last year
but this year there will be a test.
Okay, I warned you.
Greek and
Roman
Theater
“Drama…an imitation of action not the action itself.”
-Aristotle
The role of “drama” in the ancient Greek culture was a
specific one: it played a significant part in the religious
rites of the period.
How do we know about the Greeks?
While the Greeks were great at writing plays, they were not so
great at keeping them for future reading, most of the early
great works were lost.
Thank you to Lycurgus who, aside from giving us that great name which I
will probably give to my first born son, also established a library in 330BC,
which was the only way in which we have any record of any of these early
Greek works.
I am a “Thespian”
Thespis, was the earliest recorded theater practitioner. He was the
first recorded winner of the competition for the performance of
tragic plays. It is unclear whether he was an actor, a playwright, a
priest, or all or some of these.
His name lives on in the word “Thespian,” which is the name for
someone who practices the art of the theater.
Greek Theater
DIAGRAM OF AN ANCIENT GREEK THEATER SPACE
You might wish to copy this down, this looks strikingly similar to the
diagram that you will be drawing and labeling on the test. Only if you
want…I don’t want to bother you…
The Ancient Greek Theatre Space
Skene: A building behind everything in which the actors changed costumes
Orchestra: a circular area with an altar in the center where the performances took place
Proskenion: a raised platform that supported a small stage.
AMC FULLERTON MOVIE TIMES
WEDDING CRASHERS
WAR OF THE WORLDS
BEWITCHED
2:00 4:15 6:45 7:05 8:45 10:00
3:30 5:45 7:00 8:15 9:45 10:30
2:45 4:00 5:15 7:00 8:30 9:30
THE RED TIMES ARE ON THE “CLASSIC SIDE”
THE YELLOW TIMES ARE ON THE “STADIUM-SEATING SIDE”
Audience: Usually the theatre spaces were built into hillsides and the seating was
arranged in a large semi-circle
The Ancient Greek Theatre Space
Periaktos: Triangle prisms which could be pivoted to reveal three different backgrounds
Eccyclema: a platform on wheels used to display the effects of violence within a play
Deus ex Machina: (god from the machine) a crane-like machine that was used to lower
an actor, playing the part of god, onto the stage in order to fix the problems at hand
THE CHORUS
a group of actors onstage who often spoke in unison to prepare the audience for what is
about to happen or what has just taken place
The Mask
The mask was designed to be oversized in order to better convey the expressed
emotion to an audience in a large theater.
Some masks were designed with a megaphone-like mouth-piece in order to help the
actor “project” his voice.
Masks also allowed for one actor to play many different parts in the course of one
play.
What does it mean to “project” your voice?
The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights
THE TRILOGY
(OH AND A COMEDIC PLAY MEANT TO MAKE YOU FORGET WHAT
YOU JUST SAW)
The Tragedy: A play in which the main character(s) struggle against an outside force, and
usually comes to a disastrous conclusion. Most of the successful surviving Greek plays
were in the “tragic” form.
Tragedies were often presented in threes, connected by a theme or storyline, and then
followed by a comic piece called a “satyr play”
The Satyr play: These plays were used to “sugar the pill” of the tragedy and would often pick up
the same story-line and poke fun at it. Sometimes these would be indecent or base.
The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights
Sophocles (496-406 BC)
•A choric performer
•Introduction of the third actor
•His works became more actor-lead rather than choric-lead – “characterization by action”
•Wrote over 100 plays – 20 won him first prize
ONLY SEVEN TEXTS SURVIVED
Ajax, The Trachiniae, Philoctetes, Electra
THE THEBAN LEGEND: His only remaining trilogy consists of “Oedipus Rex,”
“Oedipus at Colonus,” and “Antigone.”
What is the “Oedipus Complex?”
The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights
Euripedes (480-406 BC)
•Late start – studied philosophy and didn’t win a festival until age 40 (next at
54)
•Developed the Prologue
•Emphasis on personal life – daily living
•Wrote over 90 plays – 5 won him first prize
18 TEXTS SURVIVED
His plays often dealt with serious, controversial issues in society: roles of
women and illegitimate children.
Many of his plays deal with a central female character that was shown as very
strong
The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights
Aristophanes (445-380 BC)
•Used pen-name (pseudonym) “Kallistratos”
•He used his plays to poke fun at Euripedes
•Old Comedy: poked fun at period-specific events, people, and places
•Wrote over 40 comedies
11 TEXTS SURVIVED
The Clouds (mockery of Socrates & philosophy) The Frogs (mockery of Euripedes)
Many of his plays poke fun at the poor and democracy. It is said that he was desperately
trying to fit in with “high class” people.
The Ancient Greek Influence
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
•Philosopher and scientist
•“Cathartic Effect” – it allows the viewer to watch the experience without being to
involved
Aristotle Quotes:
“The instinct for imitation is inherent in man from his earliest days, he learns
earliest lessons by imitation.”
“Drama is an imitation of action not the action itself.”
ARISTOTILEAN CASE
Roman Theater
Ancient Roman Theater
ROMAN MASKS
The Roman masks were now more specific to archetypal characters:
the handsome youth, the father, the prostitute, the parasite, the miser, the
mother, the clever slave, and the braggart soldier
(you do need to know these archetypes)
The Ancient Roman Plays & Playwrights
Terence (190-159 BC)
•A freed slave
•All of his plays were re-workings of Greek plays
•Four of his surviving plays are carbon-copies of Meander’s Greek comedies
Beginnings of “stealing” or “borrowing” works
•His works were characterized as “light and witty” with a sophisticated plot
ONLY SIX TEXTS SURVIVED
Andria, Hecyra, Heauton, Timorumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, Adelphi
The Ancient Roman Plays & Playwrights
Plautus (254-184 BC)
•Roman comic actor
•Plays based on Greek works
•Plays included debauchery, songs, jokes, and topical allusions
•Wrote over 130 plays - 20 TEXTS SURVIVED
Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD)
•Only example of Roman tragedy to survive
•His father was a famous rhetorician so he was often referred to as “Seneca the Younger”
•Became tutor to Nero (emperor of Rome) – 65 AD he was implicated in a plot to assassinate
Nero and was condemned to death but he took his own life