Greek Theater

Roots in Worship of Dionysus God of wine and revelry

Origins

Celebration of Dionysus- God of Wine Performed in circular dancing place (orchestra) A chorus of men dressed in goat skins Trageoia= goat song A story about Dionysus by leader of the chorus

PRODUCTION



Orchestra



Chorus (from 12-15 people)



Actors- always men, masked and in costumes

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Early plays of Aeschylus- only two actors; by about 450 B.C., a third had been added

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The poet composed the music and the dance as well as the text, directed the production, and trained the chorus; some dramatists also played the leading roles .

Masks of Greek Theater

Masks of Greek Theater

Masks of Greek Theater

The Greek Chorus

The chorus was dominant because there was usually one actor and that actor had to leave the stage several times during a show to change characters.

The chorus was to be a representation of society, they often served as the “ideal spectator” by providing advice, opinions, questions to the audience and actors.

The main actor(s) stood apart in the performance space because they typically played heroic figure that would realistically be separated from normal mortal beings.

Their costumes and masks added spectacle and their movement and dance heightened the dramatic effect.

Great actors were characterized by their voice quality and the ability to adopt their manner of speaking to the character.

Functions of Chorus

The beauty of poetry and dancing Relieves tension Interprets events for audience Often converses with the actors; gives advice Gives background of events

Chorus

Tragedy

A drama of a character, usually one in high position, where a conflict usually develops between the protagonist/hero and a “superior force (such as destiny, circumstance, or society)” and the story n A drama of a character, usually one in a of the protagonist.

develops between the protagonist/hero and a “superior force (such as destiny, circumstance, or society)” and the story ends in some sort of disaster or great fall of the protagonist.

Hubris and Hamartia

On Hamartia

: “A tragic flaw or error that in ancient Greek tragedies leads to the hero’s

reversal

of fortune.”

On Hubris

: Excessive pride or arrogance.

Often leads to the downfall of the major character in Greek tragedy.

Thespis of Athens

Ca. 535 B.C.E.

Father of Drama Created the first actor Hypokrites

Moving on…

New myths are used, not just Dionysus Aeschylus: introduced second actor Dialogue Sophocles: introduced third actor Dramatic action

GREAT GREEK TRAGEDIANS



AESCHYLUS (ca.525-456 B.C.)



SOPHOCLES (ca.495-406 B.C.)



EURIPIDES (c 480-406 B.C

.)

AESCHYLUS (ca.525-456 B.C.)



The "Father of Tragedy"



Addition of a second actor



Made much use of imagery



His tragedy deals Fates and the justice of the gods



His plays reflect the contemporary belief that the gods, jealous and resentful of human greatness, typically inflict great persons with a character flaw that brings their ruin

Sophocles

SOPHOCLES (ca.495-406 B.C.)



Won the competition at the Great Dionysia more often than any other of the great dramatists



He increased the potential for dramatic conflict by adding a third actor



wrote dramas which were complete in themselves, rather than always part of a trilogy



Sophoclean drama deals primarily with strong characters

EURIPIDES (c 480-406 B.C.)



Wrote prolifically- some 90 plays, of which 19 survived



He won the prize for the best play only four times (but then the Academy Awards usually get it wrong too).



He wrote of less heroic, more realistic characters

EURIPIDES Cont.



One device he uses (and it is often seen as a weakness in his plays) is the deus ex machina, a god, not involved earlier in the action, who descends in a stage machine to straighten out the mess humans have got themselves into.

Structure of Tragedy

Prologue-First Act Parados- Entrance of the Chorus Episodes- Acts Stasima-Choral Odes Exedus- Action after last stasimon

Typical Greek Theatre

Theatron- where the audience sits Open air Hillside Seating capacity of the Theatron of Dionysus of Athens?

About 17,000

Dionysus Theater in Athens

Dionysus Theater in Athens

Orchestra-dancing place of the chorus Skene- dressing room for actors Proscenium- the façade of the skene where scenery was No curtains Dues et Machina- technical device- crane atop the skene with a dummy hung representing gods.

The Greek Outdoor Amphitheatre

Deus ex Machina “God From the Machine” The Machina- a crane that was used to represent characters who were flying or lifted off of the earth.

Tunnel from behind the Skene to the center of the stage.

Scenic wagons revealed through doors on the Skene.

Pinakes painted panels that could be attached to the skene.

Differences: Drama, Then and Now

Greek drama(GD) is a religious GD get its subjects from mythology GD outlines the plot in advance, little suspence GD main intrest is relgioun and ethical instruction All Short plays 17,000 longest to 900 shortest

Rated G

No violent action Scenes of horror happen off stage Reported to the audience

Unity

Unity of action- no subplots Unity of place-no change of scenery Unity of time- max of one day No intermissions Twice a year in the day

Staging an ancient Greek play



Plays were funded by the polis

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Plays presented in competition with other plays

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Tragedies almost exclusively dealt with stories from the mythic past

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Comedies almost exclusively dealt with contemporary figures and problems.

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The great tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were performed annually at the spring festival of Dionysus, god of wine, and inspiration

.

Theater at Epidaurus

Theater at Epidaurus

Dionysus Theater in Athens

Chorus

Aristotle’s Poetics

1. Central Character is of the Elite Class – Usually noble or Royal

2. Central Character suffers a Downfall

3. Central Character is Neither Wholly good nor wholly evil

4. Downfall is the result of a Fatal Flaw or error (Hamartia)

5. Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends – closely connected

6. Tragic actions take place offstage

7. Central Character has a moment of recognition

8. Audience experiences pity and fear

Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis According to Aristotle, this is one of the most important purposes of Drama

Oedipus and Sphinx

Oedipus and Sphinx

Oedipus and Sphinx

Audience at Theater of Delphi

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA

7th Century BC  c. 625 Arion at Corinth produces named dithyrambic choruses 6th Century BC  600-570 Cleisthenes, tyrant of Sicyon, transfers "tragic choruses" to Dionysus  540-527 Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, founds the festival of the Greater Dionysia

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA



536-533 Thespis puts on tragedy at festival of the Greater Dionysia in Athens



525 Aeschylus was born



511-508 Phrynichus' first victory in tragedy



c. 500 Pratinus of Phlius introduces the satyr play to Athens

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA

      5th Century BC  499-496 Aeschylus' first dramatic competition c. 496 492 Sophocles was born Phrynicus' Capture of Miletus (Miletus was captured by the Persians in 494) 485 484 Euripides was born Aeschylus' first dramatic victory 472 467 Aeschylus' Persians Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes  468 Aeschylus defeated by Sophocles in dramatic competition

        

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA

463?

Aeschylus' Suppliant Women 458 Aeschylus' Oresteia (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides) 456 Aeschylus dies c. 450 447 c. 445 441 Aristophanes was born Parthenon begun in Athens Sophocles' Ajax Sophocles' Antigone 438 Euripides' Alcestis 431-404 Peloponnesian War (Athens and allies vs. Sparta and allies)

       

431 c. 429 428 423 415 406 405 404 Sparta

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA

Euripides' Medea Sophocles' Oedipus the King Euripides' Hippolytus Aristophanes' Clouds Euripides' Trojan Women Euripides dies; Sophocles dies Euripides' Bacchae Athens loses Peloponnesian War to

TIMELINE OF GREEK DRAMA

 401: Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus

4th Century BC

 399 Trial and death of Socrates  c. 380's Plato's Republic includes critique of Greek tragedy and comedy  c. 330's Aristotle's

Poetics

includes defense of Greek tragedy and comedy

Delphi

“Indeed, some say that dramas are so called, because their authors represent the characters as "doing" them (

dêmoi

by the Athenians, are called alleging that

kômôdoi kômai drôntes

it began among them at the time when they became a by them, and ). And it is on this basis that the Dorians [= the Spartans, etc.] lay claim to the invention of both tragedy and comedy. For comedy is claimed by the Megarians here in Greece, who say democracy [c. 580 BC], and by the Megarians of Sicily on the grounds that the poet Epicharmas came from there and was much earlier than Chionides and Magnes; while tragedy is claimed by certain Dorians of the Peloponnese. They offer the words as evidence, noting that outlying villages, called (comedians) acquired their name, not from

kômazein

(to revel), but from the fact that, being expelled in disgrace from the city, they wandered from village to village. The Dorians further point out that their word for "to do" is

drân

, whereas the Athenians use

prattein

. ”(Aristotle:

Poetics

Chapter 3)