Ancient Greek Drama

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Ancient Greek Drama
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• Originated in Athens, Greece and reached its peak
  in the fifth century B.C. E.
• Grew from ancient religious rituals.

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Greek Culture

• Life was ruled by a predetermined fate
• Set by the gods man could not alter his fate.

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Greek Mythology

• Zeus
• Apollo
• Dionysus

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Dionysus

• Son of Zeus a mortal woman

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• Mother was killed while pregnant by Zeuss
  lightning bolt
• Underwent resurrection 2nd birth from Zeuss
  thigh

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Dionysus

• God of wine and fertility in nature
• God of common people
• Thought to liberate worshippers from personal
  trouble

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Dionysus was a suffering god

• Ceremonies were not compatible w/ Greek tradition
  
• Rapid movements of hands body
• Hysterical screaming
• Cycle of lamenting and rejoicing

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• Dionysuss Teachings went against Apollos
  teachings of restraint.
• Nothing too much
• Know thyself

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• Often the worship of Dionysus was forbidden

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• Service served as a social safety valve
• After service worshippers left with peace of mind
  
• Catharsis

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Dithyrambs

• Choral lyric poems in honor of Dionysus
• Sung while dancing around altar
• 50 men dressed in goat skins

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Dithyrambs

• Tragedy goat skins (sacred animals of gods)
• Men represented satyrs (Dionysuss companions

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Dithyrambs evolved

• Became poetic in form
• Included stories of gods and heroes

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• Arion was the 1st to write dithyramb as
  literature in poetic form

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(Choragos)

• The leader of the chorus filled in the intervals
  between portions of lyric poems with stories of
  Dionysus

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Thespis
middle of 6th century BC

• Introduced first actor
• Hypokrites - answerer
• Performed between dances of the chorus
• Would take several roles change costumes many
  times - wore mask
• Conversed w/ leader of chorus

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• The "inventor of tragedy" was born in Attica, and
  was the first prize winner at the Great Dionysia
  in 534 BC. He was an important innovator for the
  theatre, since he introduced such things as the
  independent actor, as opposed to the choir, as
  well as masks, make up and costumes.

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Peisistratus

• Ruler of Athens
• Gave official recognition to tragedy
• Festival instituted

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Aeschylus added the second actor

• Drama was born
• Possibility of conflict
• Chorus was reduced to 12

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Sophocles

• Added 3rd actor
• Stabilized chorus at 15
• Introduced painted sets

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Production of the plays
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Dionysia - Festival

• Most important of 3 annual festivals
• Plays produced by state
• 5 days in Marcy/April

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Festival Schedule

• DAY 1 grand procession w/ statue of Dionysus
  carried to the theatre
  sacred parade
  - a herald would announce the
  competing plays
• DAY 2 3- 5 Dithyrambs Men
• 5 Dithyrambs Boys

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Festival Schedule

• DAY 4-6 drama contest
• Each playwright presents three tragedies - 1
  satyric play
• Only 3 playwrights could participate- chosen in
  earlier competition

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• Actors were chosen by state
• Public businesses suspended
• Prisoners released on bail
• 14,000 spectators
• Attendance mandatory religious obligation

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Spectators

• Men and women were segregated
• Originally free
• When trouble over seats fee charged
• State provided fund for those who couldnt pay.

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• Wrote plays
• Composed music
• Directed
• Supervised rehearsals
• Acted
• Assigned actors, chorus, musicians, etc.

Playwright
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• Costs paid by wealthy citizens (honor)
• Was considered a public service
• Required as a special tax on wealthy
• Shared praise

Sponsor
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Prizes

• Wreaths,
• Crowns of ivy
• bull,
• Goat
• Name carved in marble

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judges

• 10 20 judges were chosen by government
• Elaborate precautions to prevent corruption

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Thespis

• Winner of the first contest

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Other winners

• Aeschylus
• Sophocles
• Euripides

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Theater
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Actors

• All males (men or boys)
• Each played several roles
• Costume long sleeved robes

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Actors

• Costume long sleeved robes

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• Wore huge masks with mouthpieces to amplify
  voice

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• Masks gave identification no emotion voice
  gestures showed emotion

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• Large mask added stature to actors portraying
  gods and heroes

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• Chorus masks differed from actors

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Sophocles

• 496-406 B.C.

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Prominent citizen of AthensKnown for musical,
poetic and dramatic talents. GeneralPolitical
leader Priest
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Socrates taught

• That man possessed a certain freedom of will and
  action and a person could live out his life with
  dignity, bringing upon himself no more than his
  allotted share of grief.

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• At 17 he was the leader of the chorus
• 28 won prize for tragedy festival
• Over next 62 years he won 24 1st prizes and 7 2nd
  place
• Best record of any playwright

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• Every persons fate held in store a personal
  allotment of unavoidable misery.
• Misery in itself was not tragic but was to be
  expected.

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Aristotle - 335BC
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• Wrote 12 tragedies
• 7 survive today

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Religious conservative

• Plays contained a moral lesson
• Usually caution against pride and religious
  indifference

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Over 40 years he wrote 3 plays that serve as a
background for Antigone

• Oedipus
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Antigone

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Created the tragedy.

• Fear
• Catharsis effect
• Tells the story of a hero who suffers a
  catastrophe
• All is well at the end

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Fear

• Hero will be punished
• Is it too sever?
• Pity the hero?

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Catharsis

• Relate to god man

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Structure of tragedy

• Prologue
• Parados
• Episodes
• Stasimon
• Exodus

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Prologue

• Opening scene
• Background of story is established
• Single actor

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Parados

• Chorus chanting

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Chorus
Points out significance of events
Gives advice
Identifies themes
Ideal Spectator
Introduces questions new characters
Passage of time
Gives background information
Entertains
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Episodes

• Act
• 4 8 in a tragedy

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Stasimon

• Choral ode at the end of each episode

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Exodus

• Exit of Chorus and Actors

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Characteristics

• Outdoors
• Violence off stage
• 3 unities Time, Action, Place
• Continuous presence of chorus
• No curtain
• No intermission
• Myths well known - Dramatic irony

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Definition of Tragedy

• Defined by Aristotle in 335 BC
• Told to arouse emotions of pity and fear in
  audience
• Produces catharsis in audience (new understanding
  of gods and man)
• Tells story of downfall (catastrophe) of tragic
  hero

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Tragic Hero

• Noble
• Powerful respected
• Tempts fate
• Has a tragic flaw in personality (usually pride)
• Brings extraordinary amounts of sorrow and
  suffering
• Sorrow for self
• Reversal
• Awareness
• Dies or wishes to be dead
• Order is restored!

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Tragic Hero

• Noble
• Powerful respected
• Tempts fate
• Has a tragic flaw in personality (usually pride)

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Tragic Hero

• Brings extraordinary amounts of sorrow and
  suffering

• Sorrow for self
• Reversal
• Awareness
• Dies or wishes to be dead
• Order is restored!

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Tragic Hero
Sorrow for self Reversal

• Order is restored!

• Awareness
• Dies or wishes to be dead

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Order is restored.
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Antigone Background
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Oracle

• Said Oedipus would kill his father and marry his
  mother.

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Birth parents sent him away to be killed.

• Tell the good shepherd to take him to the
  mountain and pin his ankles together and leave
  him to die.

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King Queen of Corinth adopted him.

• The good shepherd takes pity on the baby and
  takes him to the childless King and Queen of
  Corinth.

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Oedipus learns of prophesy.

• Believes King Queen of Corinth are his parents
  so he leaves Corinth!

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Meets a man on the highway and kills him in after
an altercation.

• Man on the highway was King Laius.

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Meets the Sphinx and answers the question.
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Oedipus Returns to Thebes
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Thebes is so pleased Oedipus has beaten the
sphinx, they offer Oedipus the throne.

• Marries - Queen Jocasta

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Jocasta Oedipus have 4 children

• Polyneices
• Antigone
• Eteocles
• Ismene

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Plague continues until they find King Laiuss
killer!
Oedipus consults Tieresius, the prophet

• Oedipus offers big rewards killer must be
  found!

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Oedipus discovers he is the killer and gouges out
his eyes because he was blind to justice!
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Jocasta commits suicide
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Creon becomes King

• Eteocles and Polynieces will share the rule of
  Thebes.
• Polynices raises an army against Thebes

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Both brothers die Eteocles hero Polyniecies
left to rot in the sun soul will never rest.