Greek Theater
The origins of drama
 The earliest origins of drama are
ancient hymns, called dithyrambs.
These were sung in honor of the god
Dionysus. These hymns were later
adapted for choral processions in which
participants would dress up in costumes
and masks.
Word Origin
 The
modern
word “drama”
comes form
the Greek word
dran meaning
"to do"
Definition
 Dithyrambs:
a
poem, chant, or
hymn of ancient
Greece sung by
revelers at the
festival in honor
of the god
Dionysus
Greek Theater
 Greek tragedies and comedies were
always performed in outdoor
theaters.
 Early Greek theaters were probably
little more than open areas in city
centers or next to hillsides where the
audience, standing or sitting, could
watch and listen to the chorus singing
about the exploits of a god or hero.
 From
the late 6th century BC to the
4th and 3rd centuries BC there was a
gradual evolution towards more
elaborate theater structures, but the
basic layout of the Greek theater
remained the same
Parts of the Theater
 Orchestra: (literally, "dancing space") A
circular and level space where the chorus
would dance, sing, and interact with the
actors who were on the stage near the
skene.
 Theatron:
(literally, "viewing-place")
This is where the spectators sat. The
theatron was usually part of hillside
overlooking the orchestra.
Parts cont.
 Skene:
(literally, "tent") The skene
was directly in back of the stage, and
was usually decorated as a palace,
temple, or other building, depending
on the needs of the play. It had at
least one set of doors, and actors
could make entrances and exits
through them

.
 Parodos:
(literally, "passageways")
The paths by which the chorus and
some actors made their entrances and
exits. The audience also used them to
enter and exit the theater before and
after the performance.
Theatre
of
Dionysus

The first plays were performed in the Theatre of
Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in
Athens at the beginning of the 5th century,
 These theatres proved to be so popular they soon
spread all over Greece.
Word Origin
 The
modern word
“theater” comes
from the Greek
word theatron
meaning "seeing
place"
Why Dionysus?
 In Greek Mythology
Dionysus was the
son of Zeus. He is
the only god born of
one god and one
mortal parent.
 He
was the god of
wine, fertility and
revelry.
Dionysis cont.
 He
was raised by satyrs, killed, dismembered,
and resurrected (was actually reborn).
 Other gods had temples, the cult of Dionysis
met in the wood.
 It was believed that he could liberate and
inspire man. It was also believed that he could
endow man with divine creativity. Dionysus,
thus, came to be considered a patron of the arts
The “City Dionysia”
 In
the sixth century BC, the Athenian
ruler, Pisistratus, established the 'City
Dionysia', a festival of entertainment held
in honor of the god Dionysus.
 This festival featured competitions in
music, singing, dance and poetry.
 The most remarkable of all the winners
was said to be a wandering bard named
Thespis.
Word origin
Does the name Thespis remind you of
anything? Can you guess which modern
word goes back to this early actor’s name?
thespian:
1. Of or relating to
drama; dramatic:
thespian talents. 2.
Thespian Of or
relating to Thespis
1. Performed for special occasions (festivals).
Four
Qualities
of
Greek
Drama:
Athens had four festivals worshipping
Dionysus.
2. Competitive--prizes were awarded. Actors
and playwrights competed (Oedipus won 2nd
place)
3. Choral – There was singing; the chorus was
made up of men (from 3 to 50). The chorus
sang, moved, and danced. They moved the story
along.
4. The stories were based on myth or history
Essential pieces of Greek drama
 The
play
 The actors
 The chorus
The Play: Types of Greek Drama
 Comedy
 Tragedy
 Satyr Plays
Comedy and tragedy were the most
popular types of plays in ancient
Greece. Hence, the modern popularity
of the comedy and tragedy masks to
symbolize theater.
Comedy
 not
admitted to Dionysus festival till
487-486 B.C. – late
 The first comedies were mainly
satirical and mocked men in power
for their vanity and foolishness.
 The first master of comedy was the
playwright Aristophanes.
 exaggerated, farcical, sensual
pleasures
Structure of the Comedy:
— leading character
conceives a "happy idea"
 Parados: entrance of the chorus
 Agon: dramatized debate between
proponent and opponent of the
"happy idea"
 Prologue
Comedy cont.
 Parabasis:
chorus addresses
audience on
poet’s views on
topic
 Episodes:
"Happy idea" is
put to practical
application
The Greek tragedy
 Violence and death 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 and sociological.
Tragedy cont.
 Tragedy dealt with love, loss, pride, the
abuse of power and the fraught
relationships between men and gods.
 Typically the main protagonist of a
tragedy commits some terrible crime
without realizing how foolish and
arrogant he has been. Then, as he slowly
realizes his error, the world crumbles
around him.
 The three great playwrights of tragedy
were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and
Euripides.
Word Origin
 The
word
tragedy came to
be derived from
the Greek tragos
(goat) and ode
(poem).
Tragedy literally
means goat song
or goat poem.
The Structure of Greek Tragedy
 Prologue,
which described the situation
and set the scene
 Parados, an ode sung by the chorus as it
made its entrance
 Five dramatic scenes, each followed by
a Komos, an exchange of laments by the
chorus and the protagonist
 Exodus,
the climax and conclusion
 Tragedies were often presented in
trilogies. Interspersed between the
three plays in the trilogy were satyr
plays, in which satyrs (men dressed
as half-goats) made fun of the
characters in the surrounding
tragedies.
Tragic flaw
 a flaw or mistake that brings about the
downfall of the hero of a tragedy
 The Greek term "harmartia," typically
translated as "tragic flaw," actually is
closer in meaning to a "mistake" or an
"error," "failing," rather than an innate
flaw.
 The
character's flaw must result from
something that is also a central part
of their virtue, which goes somewhat
arwry, usually due to a lack of
knowledge.
Satyr Plays
 These were short plays
performed between the
acts of tragedies. They
made fun of the plight of
the tragedy's characters.
 The satyrs were mythical
half-human, half-goat
servants of Dionysus.
Word Origin
 Does the term Satyr
remind you of any
modern day term?
The Satyr and the
Satyr plays spawned
the modern word
satire.
The Actors
 All of the actors
and playwrights
were men.
Women were not
allowed to
participate.
 The actors played
multiple roles, so a
mask was used to
show the change in
character or mood.
 Gestures
and body movements were
controlled and stately
 If playing female role — need for
female appearance — wore the
prosternida before the chest and the
progastrida before the belly
The Chorus
Functions of the chorus
 an agent: gives advice, asks, takes
part
 establishes ethical framework, sets up
standard by which action will be
judged
 ideal spectator - reacts as playwright
hopes audience would
sets mood and heightens dramatic
effects
adds movement, spectacle, song, and
dance
rhythmical function - pauses / paces the
action so that the audience can reflect.
Sophocles
 Sophocles:
(496-
406 B.C.)
 son of a wealthy
merchant,
 By the age of sixteen,
he was chosen to lead
a choir of boys at a
celebration of the
victory of Salamis.

By age 28 his studies
complete, and he was
ready to compete in
the City Dionysia--a
festival held every
year at the Theatre of
Dionysus in which
new plays were
presented.
 Won 24 contests, never lower than 2nd
 Added a third actor and scenery
 Concerned with:
- the relationship between gods and human fate
- tragic irony, the contrast between human
fate and human ignorance
-importance of free will/moral choice
 Struggle even if struggle is hopeless; each
character embodies a certain moral ideal
 Portrays humans as they OUGHT to be
 Believed evil/moral failings stemmed from
ignorance
Characteristics of Sophocles' plays:
 complex characters, psychologically wellmotivated
 emphasis on individual characters
 characters subjected to crisis leading to
suffering and self recognition - including a
higher law above man
 exposition carefully motivated
 scenes suspense fully climactic
 action clear and logical
 poetry clear and beautiful
 few elaborate visual effects
 theme emphasized: the choices of people
The Final Curtain

By the time of Sophocles' death in 406 BC (128
years after Thespis' victory in the first Athenian
drama competition) the golden era of Greek drama
was ending.
 Athens, whose free-thinking culture had spawned
the birth of theater, would be overrun in 404 BC by
the Spartans, and would later be torn apart by
constant warring with other city states, eventually
falling under the dominion of Alexander the Great
and his Macedonian armies.
 Theater continued, but it would not return to the
same creative heights until Elizabethan England two
millenia later.