The I.

Beginnings

History II.
III.
The Greek Period
The Roman Period

of IV.
V.
The Medieval Period
The Renaissance Period

Drama
II. THE GREEK PERIOD
c. 550 BCE - c. 220 BCE
The Greek Period

• The earliest days of western theatre remain obscure, but the oldest
surviving plays come from the ancient Greece. Most philologists agree
that Greek theatre evolved from staged religious choral performances,
during celebrations to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility.

• Great Dionysia, also called City Dionysia, is an ancient dramatic

festival in which tragedy, comedy, and satyric drama originated; it was
held in Athens in March in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine.
Great Dionysia
 Great Dionysia

• The tragic and satyr (comic) plays were always performed at the
festival where they were part of a series of four performances
(tetralogy): the first, second, and third plays were a dramatic
trilogy based on related or unrelated mythological events, and
the culminating fourth performance was a satyr play, a play on a
lighter note, with enhanced celebratory and dance elements.
• Comedy and satyr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-
BvMbfkxcc&t=43s&ab_channel=NationalTheatre
• Tragedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSr6mP-
zxUc&t=3s&ab_channel=NationalTheatre
• A reconstruction of a dithyramb with ancient Greek instruments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf8mIhIri8I&ab_channel=Pe
trosTabourisEnsemble-Topic Another dithyramb reconstructed
with English translation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD5zbXREo4w&ab_channe
l=ChironCane
• For what a dithyramb is and how it probably evolved into Greek
tragedy: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/culture-
magazines/dithyramb
Great Dionysia

• In Athens, during the City Dionysia festival, men used to perform songs and present plays to welcome
Dionysus.

• Athens was the main center for these theatrical traditions. Athenians spread these festivals to its
numerous allies in order to promote a common identity.

The engineering marvel of the Epidaurus, ‘The World’s Greatest Theatre’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CVO9Vd067U&ab_channel=DiscoveryUK

The Crash Course Theater and Drama (10 hrs. approx. for the entire course) on YouTube is another
option (but I recommend the lecture link provided on the next page more)
The Greek Period

• At the early Greek festivals, the actors, directors, and dramatists were all the same person.

• After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in each play.

• Later few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform on-stage. Due to limited number of actors allowed on-stage, the chorus evolved into a very active part of
Greek theatre.

• Music was often played during the chorus' delivery of its lines.

• Performances lasted several hours and were held during daytime. Watch ‘An Introduction to Greek Theatre’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRLK7SogvE&list=PLJgBmjHpqgs59hmAjlAsX_vh0vGYv_3Jm&index=6&t=0s) Check out the National Theatre’s other
educational guides (not for exams).
• Listen to this talk uploaded by the University of Chicago by a nice grandfatherly classical scholar (start playback @ 7:21 if you wish to skip introductions):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHW7zlqNJws&ab_channel=UChicagoFrankeInstitutefortheHumanities (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)
• If time and interest permit, a detailed treatment of the Dionysian Festival and the stories of the major plays is provided by Edith Hall in the lecture at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cjPtH5vA5I&ab_channel=GreshamCollege
• FOR A QUICK SURVEY OF MAJOR PLAYWRIGHTS GO TO https://www.randolphcollege.edu/greekplay/ancient-greek-playwrights/