A look at the development of theater as
a literary art form.
 In your textbook, turn to p. 1064.
 Read the notes on the origin of Greek drama,
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theater and tragedy.
Create target notes in your binder:
In the center, record: GREEK DRAMA
In the middle circle, record the categories (1Religious Origin, 2- The Theater, 3- Actors and
Chorus, 4-Tragedy and the Tragic Hero, 5Mythological Sources and 6-Greek Deities) from
the text and a basic definition
In the outermost circle, define the terms related to
each category.
 Thespis: ? Given credit for being the first to put an
individual actor on the stage., separate from the
chorus.
 Aeschylus (525B.C.-456 B.C.): Put two actors on the
stage together, separate from the chorus, in order to
create conflict.
 Sophocles (496 B.C. – 406 B.C.): First to add a third
actor to the stage and increase the size of the chorus.
 Euripides (480 B.C.-406 B.C.): The third of the great
tragedians of classical Athens.
Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility and
patron of the performing arts.
Two major Athenian festivals honored Dionysus
.
•The most important was known as the City, or
Great, Dionysia, held in late March.
•The Lenaea was a winter festival.
•After three tragedians were chosen to compete
in the Great Dionysia, wealthy private citizens
assumed the production costs. Held in the
Theater of Dionysus on the south slope of the
Acropolis, the festival featured three tragedians,
each of whom would put on a tetralogy of plays,
consisting of three tragedies and a “satyr play.”
 Tragedy: A play with heroic or noble characters
and an unhappy ending. Serious themes are
addressed.
 Comedy: A play with ordinary people as
characters and a happy ending.
 Satyr play: A play that takes serious themes and
treats them comically or even lewdly.
 The skene was a long
building found in the
background of the
stage and served as a
backdrop and a
changing station.
 The actual stage was
known as the
orchestra. It was a
large area between the
skene and the
audience.
The theatron was
where the audience
sat.
 Prologue: First scene of the play. Provides background
info and establishes conflict.
 Parodos: The first choral ode, which provides further
background and moral commentary.
 Scene/Choral Ode: Each scene involves three or fewer
characters and the chorus. Scenes develop the action and
reveal characters’ qualities and flaws. Each scene is
followed by a choral ode, sung by the chorus and
developing themes of the play.
 Exodos: The final scene. This is where the catastrophe
occurs (the disastrous conclusion that involves multiple
deaths and the hero’s ruin). The hero achieves his tragic
realization here.
 The tragic hero at the center of a
tragedy is a person of high rank
who accepts his or her downfall
with dignity. The tragic hero is a
common archetype.
 A tragic flaw is an error in
judgment or a weakness in
character, such as hubris. The
tragic hero recognizes the flaw
and its consequences, but only
after it is too late. This
realization helps to redeem his
character.
 Changed masks to
change characters
 Mask acted as a
megaphone