Greek Theatre - Binghamton City School District
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Transcript Greek Theatre - Binghamton City School District
Links with sacred ritual and with the
social and political system
All plays were written for the annual
spring festival of Dionysus
Held in large, open-air theatre built into
natural slope of the hill
Hel 14 – 15,000 spectators on wooden
benches
Performances took place during daylight
hours
Orchestra – a circular area with an alter
in the center
Skene – building in back of orchestra
which served as the setting for all plays
Proskenion – framework in front of the
skene
1st plays were performed her in Athens at
the beginning of the 5th century
So popular they soon spread throughout
Greece
According to Greek Mythology, he was
the son of Zeus – only god born of one
god and one mortal parent
He was the god of wine, fertility, and
revelry
Raised by satyrs, killed, dismembered,
and resurrected
Other gods had temples, the cult of
Dionysus met in the wood
It was believed he could liberate and
inspire man. It was also believed that he
could endow man with divine creativity.
Therefore, he came to be considered a
patron of the arts.
Established as a festival in honor of the
god Dionysus.
Featured competitions in music, singing,
dance, and poetry
Most remarkable winner was Thespis.
Of or relating to drama; dramatic:
thespian talents
Thespian: of or relating to Thespis
1. performed for special occasions (Athens
had 4 festivals worshipping Dionysus)
2. competitive – prizes were awarded,
actors and playwrights competed
3. choral – there was singing and dancing,
composed of men (3-50)
4. the stories were based on myth or history
The play
The actors
the chorus
Comedy
Tragedy
Satyr plays
Late entrance into the festivals
1st comedies were mainly satirical and
mocked men in power
Master of comedy - Aristophanes
Late point of attack
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
interpretation of events
Focus on psychological and ethical
attributes of characters, rather than
physical and sociological
Dealt with love, loss, pride, the abuse of
power, and fraught relationships
between men and gods
Typically main character commits terrible
crime without realizing it
3 great playwrights – Aeschylus,
Sophocles, Euripides
Thespis
priest that walked away from the
chorus during a presentation of a story
and, instead of singing, began to recite
words and create extra dialogue
FIRST ACTOR and PLAYWRIGHT
Large Theater: too large to depend on
facial expressions or vocal inflections to
convey characters
Had to rely on physical gestures and their
ability to declaim the poetry of the script
Stylized character masks – could easily
be seen by all audience members – also
help project the voice
3 actors to play all roles, including female ones
– no females on stage, masks helped with this
Chorus included about 15 actors who
represented townspeople and other groups
Chorus remained in the orchestra and sang,
danced in ritualistic/formal patterns and
commented on the action
No stage directions written down
Same as Greek daily wear
Both men and women draped themselves in robes of
finely woven wool or linen – much variety was possible
Variety of colors, elaborate embroidery
Held in place with pins, laces, or belts
Sandals (both men and women) – calf high boots
(soldiers)
Top robe and switch of the mask could completely
change a character in minutes