Greek Theatre

Greek History

2500 - 500 BC

2500 BCWhose got the power?

Egypt

Near East

Where’s the Greece?

?

Minoan civilization

Most prevalent in the Aegean Area

Lived on the Isle of Crete

1400 BC - MAJOR EARTHQUAKE destroys Crete cities

Focus moves North to Mainland of Greece

Culture greatly influences cities of Mycenae and Troy

1100 BC

DARK AGES

1100 - 800 BC

The Dawn of Greek Civilization

800 BC - 500 BC

Greek Civilization Begins to Take Shape

polis

“City State”

ImportantGreek Cities

Attica (Athens)CorinthSpartaThebes

City state factsOriginally ruled by KingsAfter 800 BC Nobles began to acquire considerable power and controlThese “tyrants” did much to improve social conditions and promote the artsPeisistratus dominated Athens from 560-510 BC

Established numerous festivals including the Festival of Dionysia

By the late 6th Century BC Greeks grew weary of tyrants and prevent them from gaining power

508 BC

Greece creates the world’s first…

508 BC

democracy

Greek Theatre

The origins of Comedy & Tragedy

700 BC

GREEKS LEARN TO

WRITE

WRITTEN records increase but those

relating to the Theatre were rare

until 534 BC

534 BCAthens institutes a contest for the best

tragedy at the City of Dionysis (a Major Religious Festival)

Thespisis credited with

the first win

Therefore,Most scholars

consider him the inventor of

drama

TragedyTaken from the Greek …

Goat Song

Aristotle saidTragedy evolved

out of the improvisations by the leader of

the

dithyrambs

What’s a dithyramb?

It was the hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysis, the greek god of wine and

fertility

Greek Theatre

Comedy

Origins of comedyFrom the Greek word KOMOS

Based on religious ceremonies connected with fertility rites

Actors wore grotesque costumes and performed using wild gestures

Around 570 BC these actions become organized

Susaron believed to have written the first comedy

Styles of Comedy

Old Comedy

Middle Comedy

New Comedy

Structure of Comedy

Old Comedy (570 - 404)

“HAPPY IDEA”The

The Happy Idea

Usually wild and impractical

The chorus enters and debates the Happy Idea which includes a direct address to the audience of the views of the playwright

A series of farcical scenes attempting to implement the happy idea which usually concludes with some merrymaking

Middle Comedy(404 - 321)

Development connected to the downfall of Athens during the Peloponnesian WarChorus has a lesser rolePolitical commentary removedStories and characters become somewhat uniformNo scipts of this time period remain

New ComedyAppears during the last quarter of the 4th CenturyComic form most copied by the RomansStructure closely resembles the structure of modern plays (5 Act Structure)Characters drawn from contemporary AthensLast form of theatre to emerge from Athens shows the cynicism prevalent after the city’s decline

Satyr playEntered into the Dionysian Festival around 500 BCAccompanied the trilogyWritten as pure entertainment usually mocking the theme of the previous playsThe chorus was portrayed as SatyrsVery little is known about this form of Greek Theatre

Greek Theatre

The Playwrights

Tragedy in the 5th Century

What we know about Greek Tragedy is based solely on three playwrights

They are representative of other playwrights

However from over a 1,000 plays written during that time period, only 31 still exist

The Tragic Playwrights

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Euripides

Aeschylus (523 - 456)Oldest of surviving Greek PlaywrightsThought to have written 80 plays, only 7 survive including the Oresteia trilogy (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides)Introduced the Second actorThe most “theatrical” of the tragedians

Sophocles (496 - 406)Wrote over 120 plays, 7 survived including Antigone, Electra, and Oedipus Rex

Won 24 Dionysian festivals, never lower than 2nd

Introduced the 3rd actor, after Aeschylus used 3

No elaborate visual effects, placed increased emphasis on the individual character

Considered the most skillful of all the Greek tragedians

Euripides (480 - 406)Wrote about 90 plays, 18 survived including Medea, The Trojan Women, and Orestes

Popular in later cultures but not during his lifetime because his plays were thought unsuitable for the stage & too undignified for tragedy

Badly written, compared to Sophocles & Aeschylus

Use of melodrama and sentimentality were signs of what was to come in the 4th Century

The Comic Playwrights

Aristophanes

&

Menander

Aristophanes (448 - 380)What we know of Old Comedy comes from his writingsWrote 40 plays 11 survive including Frogs, Lysistrata, & BirdsCharacters come from all classes of Athenians commenting on contemporary society, politics, literature, & warWith Athen’s defeat by Sparta, his style of writing becomes less popular

Menander (342 - 292)Playwright of the New Comedy Period

Wrote about 100 plays 11 exist

Grew up in Macedonian controlled Athens

Chorus no longer important - group of performers who appear between scenes (5 Act Structure)

Stock characters taken from everyday life in contemporary dress - not mythic

Not considered great playwright but works influenced Roman playwrights Plautus & Terence

Modern Theatre can trace its roots to Menander

THE END