Greek Drama and Theatre

+ For Western civilization, the origins of theatre were in Athens, Greece about 25 hundred years
ago
+ Theatre for the Greeks originated from religious festivals
+ These festivals are in the form of musical performances and dramatic recitations were held every
year to honour the god Dionysus (the god of wine and revelry) with a chorus of men chanting
hymms

Religious festival honouring the god

+ Early Greek theatres were vast outdoor arenas with seating for thousands
+ The chorus danced in the area called the orchestra, which was almost completely surrounded by
the audience
+ The principal character, around whom the action revolves, was called the protagonist of the play
+ The one who opposes him is called the antagonist
+ Since theatre was considered important for all, anyone unable to pay was admitted free
+ Masks with exaggerated features were used and a device will be used to amplify the voice
+ An actor could change character easily by changing his mask
+ Aristotle, a 4th century B.C. Greek philosopher and theatre critic, described the ideal tragedy as
having the unity of time, place and action
+ In other words, the action of the play occurs within 24 hours, uses only one location, and is strict
tragedy with no mingling of comic episodes

3 major writers of tragedy during the early period in Greece

Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides

+ Early Greek tragedy used stories from mythology and featured a hero who lost face because of a
tragic flaw
+ Feeling fear and pity for the protagonist, the audience was effected by the tragedy
+ Audience felt the catharsis (a release from tension) when the performance was over
+ Later in 6th century B.C. featured public competitions in drama
+ Apparent in the drama of this period are the social customs of Athenian society
+ Only men had full citizenship; slaves had no rights; and women had only certain privileges
defined by marriage
+ Women did not participate in the dramatic competitions, either as playwrights or as actors but
they were allowed to watch
+ The play were written by men, and men also performed female roles onstage
Theatre
+ By the 5th century, the Greek theatre had acquired its basic design, and ampitheatres became the
established features of Greek communities
+ At its lowest level stood the round orchestra (dancing place) and it contained the altar of
Dionysus
+ Behind the orchestra is the skene, decorated with painted scenery or props. Used by actors to
change the mask or costume or as permanent background for the play
Greek Dramatic convention
+ Playwrights never put more than 2 actors on stage. Only a few playwrights, such as Sophocles,
ever put 2 or 3 actors on the stage at once.
+ Violence was also never shown on stage. When somebody was about to die, they would take that
person to the back to "kill" them and bring them back "dead."
+ The other people near the stage were the chorus which consisted of about 4-8 people who would
stand in the back wearing black.
Comedy and TRAGEDY MASks
Sophocles
(497 BC, 496 BC, or 495 BC – 406 BC)
+ He was one of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, together with Aeschylus and Euripides.
+ According to the Suda (a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopædia of the
ancient Mediterranean world) he wrote 123 plays
+ In the dramatic competitions of the Festival of Dionysus (where each submission by one
playwright consisted of four plays; three tragedies and a satyr play), he won more first prizes
(around 20) than any other playwright, and placed second in all others he participated in (Lloyd-
Jones 1994: 8)
+ Only seven of his tragedies have survived complete in the medieval manuscript tradition. The
most famous are the three tragedies concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as
the Theban plays or The Oedipus Cycle
+ One of the great innovators of the theatre, he was the first to add a third actor.
+ Many authorities also credit him with the invention of scene-painting and periaktoi or painted
prisms.
+ Of Sophocles' more than 120 plays, only seven have survived in their entirety. Of these, Oedipus
the King is generally considered his greatest work.
+ A masterful work of plot and suspense, Oedipus the King is often heralded as a "perfectly
structured" play.