The Greek Theater

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The Greek Theater

• Background information on the history of drama

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According to Aristotles Poetics drama (tragic
writing) should include

• Plot- the arrangement of scenes
• Character- keep true, herobrave, no noble
  villains, stay true to the character within the
  work of literature also
• Theme- must have a purpose, not just to entertain
• Language- elevated speech
• Music- behind the Greek chanting, true to theme
• Spectacle- wows the senses, extravagant

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Other elements necessary for tragedy (according
to Aristotle)

• Hamarteia- tragic flaw, thematically linked
• Parapeteria- turning point
• Anagnoresis- recognition, lead character must
  realize he/she was wrong
• Pathos- pain from empathy, the audience must feel
  it
• Catharsis- release

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Origins of Drama

• Began with the Dithramb- a group
  o of men singing and dancing
  to Apollo
• Thespis- invented the idea of an actor, known as
  the Hypocrite (the answerer in Greek). The
  Hypocrite (pronounced hipocreetay) was a member
  of the Dithrambic circle and answered questions
  about Apollo or acted like Apollo.

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The Golden Age of Greece (lasted about 50
years)The Playwrights

• Aeschylus(pronounced escales)- 90 plays-first to
  include two Hypocrites in his plays and had an
  infinite number of characters
• Sophocles- 120 plays-first to include three
  Hypocrites
• Euripides- 92 plays-known as a realist, hated in
  his time, plays said to be too dull
• Aristophanes- known as the comedian, plays over
  the top for most audiences
• Menander- only one play found in 1957, The
  Grouch, rumored to have written many more

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The Theater
The theater at Delphi Note- originally there was
no stage
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The Introduction of the Stage
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Masks

• Masks were used instead of costume changes since
  only 3 actors played all of the roles
• Masks had exaggerated facial expressions to show
  emotion
• They also acted as megaphones

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Women on Stage

• First in Asia
• Not in Europe until the 1400s
• Europe- first in Italy, second in France
• England? Not until the late 1660s!
• The roles of Medea, Antigone, etcwould have been
  played by men with feminine masks

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Staging Medea
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Structure of the Greek Play

• The basic structure of a Greek tragedy is fairly
  simple. After a prologue spoken by one or more
  characters, the chorus enters, singing and
  dancing. Scenes then alternate between spoken
  sections (dialogue between characters and between
  characters and chorus) and sung sections (during
  which the chorus danced). Here are the basic
  parts of a Greek Tragedy

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• a. Prologue Spoken by one or two characters
  before the chorus appears. The prologue usually
  gives the mythological background necessary for
  understanding the events of the play.
• b. Parodos This is the song sung by the chorus
  as it first enters the orchestra and dances.
• c. First Episode This is the first of many
  "episodes" when the characters and chorus talk.
• d. First Stasimon At the end of each episode,
  the other characters usually leave the stage and
  the chorus dances and sings a stasimon, or choral
  ode. The ode usually reflects on the things said
  and done in the episodes, and puts it into some
  kind of larger mythological framework.
• For the rest of the play, there is alternation
  between episodes and stasima, until the final
  scene, called the...
• e. Exodos At the end of play, the chorus exits
  singing a processional song which usually offers
  words of wisdom related to the actions and
  outcome of the play.

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Women in Ancient Greece

• 5th century BC only adult Greek males were
  citizens
• Foreigners, women, children, and slaves all
  inferior
• Women always under the guardianship of a male
• Although many plays show powerful and clever
  women, this was not representative of the Greek
  society

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More on Women in Ancient Greece

• Around age 14 women entered an arranged marriage
  with an older man for the purpose of creating
  legitimate children
• Separate womens quarters in the homes
• Women did not attend dinner parties or appear at
  many public events with spouse
• Society expected men to have sexual relationships
  outside of marriage
• The word adultery was solely defined as a woman
  cheating on her husband
• It was a crime against her husband because he
  would not be able to claim her children as
  legitimately his heirs

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More on Women in Ancient Greece

• Rape was a crime against the womans father or
  husband since it diminished her value as his
  property
• ThereforeMedeas situation of her husband
  leaving her for a younger princess was not
  unusual. What makes the play unique is Medeas
  refusal to meekly accept her fate and that the
  chorus of Corinthian women champion Medeas
  cause. Euripides dares to question the treatment
  of women in Greek society.