GREEK
THEATRE &
MEDEA
MAINSTAGE
GREEK TRAGEDY
• The Greek tragedy started in the form of dithyrambs.
• Dithyrambs: choral hymns to the god Dionysus
• Thespis is thought to be the playwright that moved
theatre from this form of poetry to the classical form of
Greek tragedy.
• Did this by allowing actors to speak as individuals in
their own voice, rather than singing as a group
• Despite the fact that the influence of Thespis is not agreed
upon, to this day actors are known as thespians in his
honor.
STRUCTURE OF
GREEK PLAYS
•
Actors usually played more than one role
• Men played all the parts
• Stylized - used masks, choruses, etc.
• Violence and death usually offstage
• Frequent use of messengers to relate information
• Usually continuous time of action
• Usually single place
• Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretations of
events
• Focus is on psychological and ethical attributes of characters,
rather than physical
FOUR QUALITIES OF
GREEK TRAGEDIES
1. Performed for Special Occasions
Athens had four festivals worshipping Dionysus.
• Dionysus: according to Greek mythology, the god of wine,
fertility, and rebirth.
• The son of Zeus (King of the Gods) and Semele (a mortal)
2. Competitive
Prizes were awarded, and Thespis is believed to be the first
theatrical contest winner.
The most famous of all Greek Tragedies, “Oedipus Rex,” finished
second around 430 BCE.
3. Plays Closely Related to Religion
• Most stories focused on the gods, myths, and history
• Each playwright had his own interpretation of such events
FOUR QUALITIES OF
GREEK THEATRE
4. Had a Chorus
• Singing was an important part of the foundation of theatre (dithyrambs)
• Moved from being the entire performance to contained within the
chorus.
• Chorus: a group of actors singing/speaking together
• Offer a variety of background and summary information to help the
audience follow the performance
• Represent the population in any particular story
• Comment on themes and shows how an ideal audience might
react to the drama
• Express to the audience what the main characters could not say,
such as their fears or secrets
• Usually communicated in song form but sometimes spoke their
lines in unison.
• Added movement, spectacle, song, and dance
GREEK TRAGEDIAN:
EURIPIDES
Euripides (ur/ip/i/des) (480-406 B.C.)
• Very popular in later Greek times, little appreciated
during his life
• Sometimes known as “The Father of Melodrama”
• Subjects questioned traditional values
• Used minor myths or severely altered major ones
• Used less poetic language, but more realistic
characters and dialogue
• Most famous plays: Medea, The Trojan Women and
The Bacchae
MEDEA
• First produced around 431 BC
• Based on a myth – Medea is a sorceress who was
the daughter of a king, niece of goddess of magic
Circe, granddaughter of sun god Helios who helps
Jason, a hero & leader of the Argonauts, find the
Golden Fleece. They get married, she leaves her
home to be with him, and they have 2 sons.
• Not received well at the time (3rd place = last) –
probably because it was both shocking and
unconventional (indecisive chorus, etc.)
• Considered one of first works of feminism
• Is the most popular Greek tragedy to be performed
through the 20th century