Transcript Theater History

Theater
History
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.
Lycurgus 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.
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.
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 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 performer
•Introduction of the third actor
•His works became more actor-lead rather than
chorus-lead
•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.”
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
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.
Roman Theater
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.”
Ancient Roman Theater
ROMAN MASKS
The Roman masks were now more specific to
types of characters:
the handsome youth, the father, the prostitute,
the parasite, the miser, the mother, the clever
slave, and the braggart soldier
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
Plautus (254-184 BC)
•Roman comic actor
•Plays based on Greek works
•Plays included crude scenes, songs, and jokes
•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