Greek Theatre

1
Greek Theatre the origins of Western Theatre
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Ritual/Storytelling

• Some believe that theatre grew out of
  Storytelling.
• Why would this seem natural?
• Some believe that theatre grew out of Ritual.
• Five Functions of Ritual
• Sharing knowledge
• Didactic (moral)
• Influence or control
• To glorify
• To entertain and give pleasure.

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Earliest known play

• Around 4000B.C. in Ancient Egypt the Abydos
  Passion Play was first performed and is still
  performed today.
• http//youtu.be/PhxQKx-oMQk

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Theatre, as we know it, is attributed to the
Greeks.

• Greek culture was a powerful influence in the
  Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to
  many parts of Europe.
• Ancient Greek civilization has been immensely
  influential on the language, politics,
  educational systems, philosophy, art and
  architecture of the modern world
• It was the basis of the Renaissance in Western
  Europe and again during various neo-classic
  revivals in 18th-19th century Europe and The
  Americas.

5
Golden Age of Greece(also called classical
period)

• 5th century B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) was a
  time of great progress

The Parthenon is the best-known surviving
building of Ancient Greece and is regarded as one
of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The
building has stood atop the Acropolis of Athens
for nearly 2,500 years and was built to give
thanks to the Greek goddess Athena.
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Golden age

• Great inventions of the Greeks
• Democracy
• Philosophy
• Pythagorean theorem (math)
• Hippocratic oath (medicine)
• Art, architecture (amazing sculpture buildings)

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We know they revered theater

• Check out the Theater at Epidaurus - obviously
  built to last

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Theatron Viewing place.
Orchestra Singing Place
Parodos - passage
Parodos - passage
Skene Dressing hut
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Theater and Culture Greek Theater Emerges

• Theater and Religion
• Dionysus was the god of wine, fertility, and
  revelry. (pg 8 letter d)
• Most historians believe that Greek drama
  originated out of the dithyrambic chorus, a group
  of 50 men who sang and danced a hymn to Dionysus.
• Theater was presented at annual festivals held in
  honor of the gods.
• Thespis is credited with transforming these songs
  into drama when he stepped out of the chorus and
  became an actor. He became a character and
  engaged in dialogue with the chorus.
• Thespian, which means stage performer, comes
  from Thespis.

10
Theater and Myth

• Myths were the subject of these plays written for
  religious festivals
• Myths
• story handed down from generation to generation
• Often attempts to explain human and natural
  phenomena (Echo Narcissus for example, or
  Demeter Persephone)
• Also deal with extreme family situations

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Homer

• Greek poet, lived around 800 B.C.E.
• Wrote the Iliad (account of the war between the
  Greeks Trojans, remember Helen of Troy?
  Achilles?)
• Wrote the Odyssey (voyage of Odysseus)
• Provided the greatest source of material for all
  classical tragedy

12
Progression of the actor

• Began with one actor large chorus (50).
• Aeschylus added added a second actor who could
  play different parts, wearing different masks.
  Chorus reduced to 12.
• Sophocles added third actor, raised chorus to 15
  (where it remained). Dramatic construction could
  then be much more flexible.
• Actors were only men.

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Greek Masks

• All performers wore them
• Later they had devices like megaphones built in

14
Greek Chorus

• Really important Theater element
• Usually represented ordinary citizens
• Reacted the way people in the audience might
• Gave background info necessary to understand the
  plot (exposition)
• Represented a moderate balance between the
  extreme behaviors of the principle characters
• Made philosophical observations drew
  conclusions about what was happening
• Why would the chorus be used?

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Tragedy

• Most admired form of Greek drama
• Theatre comes from the dithyramb, a hymn sung or
  changed before religious rituals in honor of
  Dionysus, the god of wine, rebirth, and
  fertility.
• The word tragedy comes from the Greek work
  tragos or Goat Song (Since Dionysus was half
  human half goat)

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Aristotle

• 384 -322 BCE
• Wrote The Poetics, a guide to how to write and
  perform theatre.
• The Poetics is the only text on drama that
  survives from that era.

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The Rules of the Poetics

• Three Acts (Beginning, middle, and end)
• The Plot is more important than the characters.
• Characterization is vital though
• Sentiments brought about by the action to achieve
  Catharsis (purging of emotion)
• Must entertain

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The Six Elements we still use today

• 6 Elements of drama
• Plot
• Character
• Moral or Theme
• Language
• Music
• Spectacle

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Aeschylus

• 525-456 BCE
• Called for 2nd actor, reduced
• size of chorus from 50 to 12
• Master of the trilogy (3 tragedies that make up a
  single unit)
• Oresteia - saga of Agamemnon, hero of the Trojan
  war, when he returns he is murdered by his wife
  Clytemnestra, who is killed by their children,
  Electra and Orestes (whew!)

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Sophocles

• 496-406 BCE
• Added third actor, raised
• chorus to 15
• Adept at dramatic construction (well-made play)
• Oedipus Rex (King Oedipus)
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Antigone

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Euripedes

• 484-406 BCE
• A rebel for the following innovations
• Sympathetic portrayal of female characters
• Increased realism
• Mixture of tragedy w/melodrama
• Skeptical treatment of the gods
• Medea http//youtu.be/OdtDeZZ4RPk 11400 -
  11704
• The Bacchae
• Electra

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Aristophanesthe comedian

• 448-380 BCE
• Wrote old comedies
• Lysistrata, The Frogs
• Makes fun of social, political, or cultural
  conditions
• Characters are often recognizable personalities
  (such as Socrates)
• Modern counterpart political satire, like on SNL

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The Frogs

• Enter Dionysus on foot dressed in the skin of a
  Nemian Lion, and the club of Heracles in his
  hand, and Xanthias heavily laden on a donkey.
• Xanthias Master, should I tell one of those
  usual jokes which always make the audience laugh?
• Dionysus By Zeus, say what you want--except
  I'm hard pressed - Forget that one, it's really
  quite annoying.
• Xanthias Nothing else witty either?
• Dionysus Anything but What a strain!
• Xanthias What then? Can I say the really funny
  one?
• Dionysus Of course, Go right ahead--but don't
  let me catch you saying this.
• Xanthias What's that?
• Dionysus That you must shift your pack to ease
  yourself.
• Xanthias Well, can't I say I've got such a load
  on me, unless someone takes it off, I'll bust a
  gut?
• Dionysus Please don't, unless you wish to make
  me sick.
• Xanthias So why should I have to carry all this
  stuff, without doing any of the jokes that
  Phrynichus and Lycis and Ameipsias always make
  the baggage-carriers say in all their comedies?
• Dionysus Just don't. Since when I'm in the
  theater and hear any of these stupid jokes, I go
  away just older by a year.

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Roman Theatre

• Borrowed Greek ideas and improved on them.
• Less Philosophical.
• More like a carnival
• Acrobatics, gladiators, jugglers, athletics,
  chariot races, naumachia (sea battles), boxing,
  venationes (animal fights).

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Roman Theatre Cont.

• Tended to be grandiose (way over the top).
• Actors were called histriones
• Comedies were IN
• We now have stars who were acclaimed for their
  acting.

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Three major influences

• Greek Drama
• Etruscan influences circus like
• Fabula Atellana Short farces with stock
  characters. Think todays sitcoms.

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Other familiar styles that came out of Roman
Theatre.

• Pantomime solo dance (story telling), with
  music and masks.
• Mime short, serious or comic, no masks.
  Scoffed at Christianity (Church didnt like that)
  women allowed to perform.

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Horace 65-8 BCE

• Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry)
• Interpreted Aristotles Poetics.
• Adds
• Unity of time, place, and action
• Genre separation
• Language use in tragedy (high class) and comedy
  (low class)

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Terence 195-159(?) BCE

• Terence was born in Carthage, North Africa, taken
  to Rome as a slave, purchased by a Roman senator
  that gave him a liberal education and then his
  freedom.
• All six of his plays still exist today.
• Mainly adapted Greek Plays.

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Plautus 254-184 BCE

• Most of his play were adapted from Greek
  comedies.
• Wrote 52 plays only 20 have survived. This makes
  him the dramatist with the most surviving work
  from the time.

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The decline

• Christian Church rises in power and as it does,
  almost all theatre is forbidden and dies out
• or did it?

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Activity

• In your groups, think of a serious news story
  that you can satirize.
• Create a SHORT 1-3 min satire to perform for the
  class.