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The History of Drama

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Title: The History of Drama


1
The History of Drama
2
I. Before the Theater
3
A. When and Where
  1. Greece
  2. Prior to the 6th c. B.C.

4
B. What
  • Oral tradition - narration
  • Stories of legendary heroes
  • No acting

5
C. Who
  • Greek rhapsodist a professional who went from
    place to place reciting stories of legendary
    heroes
  • Homer
  • Greek poet who lived during the 9th or 8th c.
    B.C.
  • Wrote the two most famous epic poems that were
    recited by the rhapsodists
  • Iliad
  • Odyssey

6
D. Why
  • Entertainment
  • A way of spreading ideas

7
Greek Drama
8
A. When and Where
  • 6th c. B.C.
  • Athens, Greece
  • During ceremonies to honor the Greek god Dionysus
  • Later during theatrical competitions
  • Amphitheaters

9
B. What
  • In the beginning
  • Chorus a group of fifty men and boys who danced
    and chanted lines in unison
  • Called a goat-song or tragos which is the basis
    for the word tragedy
  • Later
  • Thespsis
  • stepped out from the chorus and engaged them in
    dialogue
  • Became the first actor (thespian actor)
  • Mostly tragedies

10
C. Who
  • Aeschylus
  • Increased the number of actors
  • Reduced the size of the chorus
  • Considered the father of tragedy
  • Sophocles
  • Refined the plot structure to create a more
    unified work
  • Allowed his characters to question fate and the
    wills of the gods
  • Wrote Oedipus Rex (considered by Aristotle to be
    the ideal tragedy)

11
C. Who (cont.)
  • Euripides
  • More interested in peoples lives than in the
    religion of those days
  • Emphasized human relationships
  • Became a master of pathos human sorrow and
    compassion
  • Aristophanes
  • Skilled satirist a style of comedy that
    presents humorous attacks on accepted conventions
    of society, holding up human vices and follies to
    ridicule
  • Mocked the leaders of Athens and the gods
  • Wrote Lysistrata an attack on war

12
D. Why
  • Religious worship
  • To show humanitys place in the world and the
    consequences of individual actions

13
Roman Theater
14
A. When and Where
  • 3rd c. B.C.
  • Roman Empire
  • Amphitheaters
  • State-financed free to the public
  • Most famous the Colosseum

15
B. What
  • An imitation of Greek drama
  • All classical Roman tragedy was based on Greek
    plays
  • Example Senecas Oedipus was in essence
    Sophocles Oedipus Rex with the addition of a
    ghost scene.
  • Roman comedy derived from Greek New Comedy
  • The majority of original Roman dramas
  • Were comic representations of daily life
  • Focused on comical business rather than the
    development of plot or character
  • Contained plots that were concerned with mistaken
    identity, clever servants, young lovers and old
    men with complaining wives

16
C. Who
  • Plautus
  • Roman comedian
  • Helped develop the stock character a
    stereotypical character whose behavior,
    qualities, or beliefs conform to familiar
    dramatic conventions
  • Terence
  • Praised for creating a smoother, more elegant
    work than Plautus
  • Also helped to develop the stock character
  • Seneca
  • Beginning in the 1st c. A.D.
  • Wrote closet dramas plays that were meant to be
    read rather than acted

17
D. Why
  • Entertainment
  • To gain favor with the Roman mob
  • Theater was later replaced with gladiator fights,
    wild-beast shows and chariot races in the Roman
    empire.
  • To prevent the decay of the empire

18
IV. Medieval Drama
19
A. When and Where
  • From the 5th to the 13th c. A.D.
  • Began with the decline of the Roman Empire
  • Ended at the dawn of the Renaissance
  • Europe
  • Churches
  • Pageant Wagons

20
B. What
  • Liturgical plays
  • A question-and-answer song performed by monks on
    Easter
  • Sung in Latin
  • Later included priests, choirboys and nuns
  • Later translated into the vernacular
  • Later performed on Christmas and other religious
    holidays
  • Miracle plays or saint plays
  • Based on the legends of the saints and their
    lives
  • Performed in the vernacular
  • Began to be performed outside of the church

21
B. What (cont.)
  • Mystery plays
  • Based on biblical history
  • Example Passion Play addresses the last week
    of Christs life
  • Morality plays
  • Allegories
  • Dealt with right and wrong, usually in the
    context of the devil and God battling for souls
  • Presented by the church outside of the church
  • Not associated with a specific holiday
    celebration
  • Example Everyman

22
C. Who
  1. Monks
  2. Priests, choirboys and nuns
  3. Church members
  4. Secular drama companies associated with the
    church
  5. Secular drama companies supported by the nobility

23
D. Why
  • To help church members understand and relate to
    the Bible
  • To show the consequences of human actions
  • Entertainment

24
V. Renaissance Drama
25
A. When and Where
  • Beginning in Italy in the 13th c.
  • Spread to the rest of Europe in the 15th c.
  • Playhouses
  • Example the Globe Theater

26
B. What
  • Italian Drama
  • Began as weak imitations of classical plays with
    cheap obscenities and poorly constructed scripts
  • Theater architecture and stage equipment became
    more developed
  • Colored and perspective lighting was introduced
  • Operas
  • An attempt to revive the simplicity and humanism
    of ancient Greek drama
  • Introduced music to drama, emphasizing the words
    with a solo vocal line and simple instrumental
    accompaniment

27
B. What (cont.)
  • English Drama
  • An expression of the soul of the nation
  • Became a vital force in the lives of the people

28
C. Who
  • Christopher Marlow
  • Introduced blank (unrhymed) verse
  • Wrote Doctor Faustus about a man who sells his
    soul
  • Ben Jonson
  • A master of English comedy
  • Paid much attention to the humors
  • William Shakespeare
  • Considered the greatest playwright of all time
  • Wrote Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar
  • The Globe Theater

29
D. Why
  • Entertainment
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