Ancient Greek theatre: origins, development and influence on the Western world.

Western civilisation is said to have begun in Ancient Greece (Rodgers, 2008, 6). The
fifth century BCE was the golden age of the city of Athens, with art, the economy and
the new notion of democracy thriving (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 134). The Ancient
Greeks developed words to describe the world around them, such as anarchy,
astronomy, comedy, diplomacy, drama, economics, mathematics, music, philosophy,
poetry, theatre, tyranny and even zoology (Rodgers, 2008, 6). Their alphabet was
taken from the Phoenicians, but unlike the Phoenicians, they used it to write history,
philosophy, poetry and plays (Rodgers, 2008, 6). These plays and the theatrical
conventions invented alongside them reveal the lives, values and relationships of
Athenian citizens; and the impact of Ancient Greek theatre can still be seen over two
and a half thousand years later (Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 82).

The foundation of Western tradition in drama can be traced to Ancient Greek theatre,
which itself traces the origins of its traditions to the even older fertility rituals of
sympathetic magic, where people would perform rites that included singing and
dancing in order to please their omnipresent gods (Lust, 2003, 21; Crawford, Hurst,
Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 85). All rituals involved dancing and as these dances
became more sophisticated, people would sit and watch (Burkert, 1985, 102; Baines
and O’Brien, 2006, 135). Communicating with gods, such as Dionysus, god of wine,
was done via movement and it is here that the chorus is said to have begun (Burkert,
1985, 161; Lust, 2003, 19; Clauren, 2004, 156). The fifth century BCE introduced
characters separate from the chorus, in a style which continues to this day (Clauren,
2004, 156). The first recorded actor was Thespis, hence the term ‘thespian’ (Crawford,
Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 86). He was reported to have stepped out of the
chorus and commenced speaking alone (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 137). This single
actor technique used masks to change roles and display facial emotions (Baines and
O’Brien, 2006, 137). Aeschylus introduced a second actor, making face to face
dialogue possible and Sophocles a third (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 137).

The conventions of Ancient Greek theatre are ones that are still familiar today.
Playwrights of tragedy sought to excite pity and fear in their audience; the comedians,
emotions of joy and laughter (Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 93). The

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plots of tragedies were based on the legends of the Greek gods and heroes, which
were all well-known to the audience and the plays also featured a singing and dancing
chorus (Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 87). Comedy looked at
contemporary matters, such as art or politics, and concerned itself with revealing the
hypocrisy of corrupt behaviour both in public and in private, along with generally
ridiculing and satirising other playwrights, politicians and philosophers alike (Crawford,
Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 95-96). The Ancient Greeks believed that
humans were governed by their emotions and that if passion ruled, disaster would
surely follow (Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 137). For this reason,
plays often depicted leaders brought down as a result of hubris and great cities
destroyed by the vanity of citizens (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 135). Athenian
audiences would not have needed prompting in order to link the behaviour and
warnings depicted in these plays to their own city and rulers (Baines and O’Brien,
2006, 135). Other theatrical conventions of Ancient Greece included using only male
actors, a tradition which was carried across centuries and continents and the practise
of outdoor performances in theatres built into hillsides, in order to provide acoustics
for thousands (Dugdale, 2008, 101; Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 143).

Masks continued to play a prominent role in Ancient Greek theatre and as the theatres
themselves were very large and most actors seemed merely thumb sized from the
rear seating area, masks tended to be larger than life, with protruding features, thus
enabling audiences to recognise the emotions they were depicting from a distance
(Dugdale, 2008, 120). While the tradition of masks pre-dates Ancient Greece, it was
in their theatre that the ancient ritual of surrendering one identity in favour of another
was honed to perfection (Burkert, 1985, 103). A primary source with examples of such
masks is the terracotta plaque found in Northern Greece, which dates from the early
Hellenistic period and features six masks complete with remnants of brightly coloured
paint (Dugdale, 2008, 122).

We know that the Ancient Greeks valued their theatre, as we can see this from what
remains in primary sources, such as the Acropolis, vase paintings and fragments of
surviving writings (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 134; Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and
Wimmer, 2011, 85). Theatre was considered to be a religious experience that offered
wisdom and Aristotle believed that audiences were cleansed and purged of their

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emotions through the act of watching performances (Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 135 &
140). Playwrights were valued members of society; for example, Sophocles, who died
while Sparta was attacking Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Such was the sentiment
for this playwright in the hearts of the Athenian people, that, upon hearing of his death,
the Spartans temporarily halted their attack in order for him to be buried in peace
(Baines and O’Brien, 2006, 135).

Although the surviving plays of Ancient Greece are limited, they provide us with
evidence of the wealth of entertainment provided to the citizens of Athens and, more
importantly, an insight into how they lived their lives. For example, we know from
Aristophanes that the harsh treatment of slaves was considered amusing
(Aristophanes, 2008, 1-20; Dillon and Garland, 2008, 352). From Aeschylus, the
progression of Athenian law from acts of blood-revenge to judicial process (Jones,
2008, 57; Rodgers, 2008, 60). Euripides discusses the fate of Trojan women after the
fall of Troy and Sophocles provides the origins of Sigmund Freud’s theory of The
Oedipus Complex (Euripides, 2008, 235-252; Neelands, 2004, 67). Phrynichos’ ‘The
Capture of Miletos’ depicted the capture of the city by the Persians and so distressed
the viewing audience that he was fined heavily and the very subject was forbidden to
be used in a play ever again (Herodotus, 2008, 6.21). The play ‘Clouds’ produced in
423 BCE is said to have ridiculed the philosopher Socrates to such an extent that a
quarter of a century later, while on trial for his life, he claimed that the play had
permanently damaged his reputation (Jones, 2008, 100). Although works of fiction,
these plays provide illumination into the thinking and probable lives of ancient peoples
and the tragedy and humour exhibited continues to entertain today. For instance, in
the production ‘Birds’ by Aristophanes, the chorus addresses the audience and
discusses the merit of possessing wings: “There’s nothing better or nicer than to grow
wings. For as soon any of you spectators acquired wings, when he was hungry and
tired of the tragic choruses, he could fly home and have lunch…” (Aristophanes, 2008,
785).

The traditions of theatre started in Ancient Greece quickly spread throughout the
Western world, in particular, migrating to Ancient Rome, with the Roman theatrical
conventions of mime and farce heavily influenced by Greek comedy (Crawford, Hurst,
Lugering and Wimmer, 2011, 99; Lust, 2003, 24). The Roman playwright Seneca

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adapted nine Greek tragedies, and these adaptations were considered to be so
historically important, that the continued teaching of them influenced more modern
playwrights, such as William Shakespeare (Crawford, Hurst, Lugering and Wimmer,
2011, 100). Mime artists are known to have entertained the courts of Charlemagne
and William the Conqueror, who used the actors’ skill to win favour among their guests
(Lust, 2003, 31). While discussing the habits of the Count of Foix in the 14th Century,
medieval historian Froissart stated that the count enjoyed the entertainment of
travelling performers (Froissart, 1978, 265). These centuries of acting throughout the
European continent had a profound influence on modern Western drama, which owes
its origins to Ancient Greece (Dugdale, 2008, 101).

Aristotle believed poetry, which in his mind also included the art of tragedy, to be more
concerned with the universal truths of humankind than history (Dillon and Garland,
2008, 453). Ancient Greek theatre, born of ritual and rite, enabled humans to give
licence to their impulse to communicate and the study of such theatre provides
opportunities for thespians to develop a wide selection of still contemporary theatrical
skills (Lust, 2003, 21; Neelands, 2004, 67). The theatre of Ancient Greece became a
symbol of classic antiquity; its words hold the history of a people, its longevity
demonstrates the similarities between these ancient people and our own more modern
world (Lalioti, 2002, 153). The influence it has had on two and a half centuries of
history should come as no surprise, for, as Aristotle also observed, while history can
tell us what did happen, poetry tells us what might (Aristotle, 2008, 1451a36-b11).

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 References

Aristophanes. (2008) ‘Birds’, in Dillon, M. and Garland, L., Ancient Greece, Social and
Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, Routledge,
London and New York, print.

Aristophanes. (2008) ‘Frogs’, in Dillon, M. and Garland, L., Ancient Greece, Social and
Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, Routledge,
London and New York, print.

Aristotle. (2008) ‘Poetics’, in Dillon, M. and Garland, L., Ancient Greece, Social and
Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, Routledge,
London and New York, print.

Baines, R. and O’Brien, M. (2006) ‘Sophocles and Greek theatre’, Navigating senior
drama, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and Port Melbourne, pp.133-150,
print.

Burkert, W. (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, Carlton, print.

Clauren, M. (2004) ‘Half Mask and Chorus Work: Creating Group Character’, Centre
Stage: creating, performing and interpreting drama, Heinemann, Port Melbourne,
pp.153-157, print.

Crawford, J., Hurst, C., Lugering, M. and Wimmer, C. (2011) Acting in Person and in
Style in Australia, Nelson Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, print.

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. (2008) Ancient Greece, Social and Historical Documents
from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, Routledge, London and New York, print.

Dugdale, E.K. (2008) ‘The actors’, Greek theatre in context, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, pp.101-132, print.

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Euripides. (2008) ‘Trojan Women’, in Dillon, M. and Garland, L., Ancient Greece,
Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates,
Routledge, London and New York, print.

Froissart, J. (1978) Chronicles, translated by Brereton, G., Penguin Books, London,

print.

Herodotus. (2008) ‘The Capture of Miletos’, Histories, in Dillon, M. and Garland, L.,
Ancient Greece, Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of
Socrates, Routledge, London and New York, print.

Jones, N.F. (2008) Politics and Society in Ancient Greece, Praeger, Westport, print.

Lalioti, V. (2002) ‘Social Memory and Ancient Greek Theatres’, History and
Anthropology, Vol.13, No.3, Routledge, pp.147-157, print.

Lust, A. (2003) ‘Extracts: from the Greek mimes to Marcel Marceau and beyond’, From
the Greek mimes to Marcel Marceau and beyond: mimes, actors, Pierrots and clowns:
a chronicle of the many visages of mime in the theatre, Scarecrow Press, Lanham,
pp.18-48, 221-222, 228-230, 243, 246, print.

Neelands, J. (2004) ‘Resources’, Beginning drama 11-14, David Fulton Publisher,

London, pp.67-79, print.

Rodgers, N. (2008) The Complete History and Wars of Ancient Greece, Hermes
House, London, print.