greek drama

GREEK DRAMAGroup members:

Rajeef SuckraChantelle Beckford

Karinski BrownOthelia Service

What is Greek drama?

A theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece.

About Greek drama

Came into existence in Athens, Greece, and was usually staged there.

Greek drama was constructed as a way of honouring Dionysus, the Greek God of ecstasy.

Athenians spread these festivals to its numerous allies to promote a common identity.

Staged in the amphitheatre.

Conventions of Greek dramaChorus

represents an ethos, a social consciousness that serves as a constant reminder of moral and social issues at stake in the drama.

The chorus in comedy is 24

The chorus in tragedy changed

overtime from 50 to 15

functions of the chorus

Lamentation or warning. Heightening significant moments. Encouraging and rejoicing. Foretelling the future. Remembering what characters had

forgotten and did not know. Better performed by symphonies and

orchestras today.

Types of chorus songs

Choral entry song (parados)- in which the Greeks invite the God/Gods before beginning.

First stasimon- reflects what was done in the episodes and puts it in a larger mythological framework (usually done in tragedies).

Exodus- the exit song, offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play.

mask

Greek term for mask is persona. Known to have been used since the time

of Aeschylus and considered to be one of the ironic conventions of classical theatre.

Made of wood, stiffened linen, animal and human hair, cork, leather.

Purposes of masks

Exaggerates expressions to help define the characters being portrayed (sex, age, social status).

Allowed actors to play various roles or genders.

Had greater dramatic effect in tragedies. Were normally ugly and unsightly in

comedy and satyr plays, but life-like in tragedies.

Guess the Expressions ;)

Costumes, the mask support

Help to create character. They were elaborate decorated versions

of everyday clothing of the Athenians. Tragic actors wore buskins (raised

platform shoes) to symbolise superiority. Comedy actors wore plain socks. For female roles, males wore a

prosterneda (imitation of breasts) and progustreda (stomach or belly), both wooden parts.

Costumes

Aristotelian notions of tragedy

It depicts the downfall of a good person by a fatal error or misjudgment, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience.

It should evoke pity and fear on the part of the audience.

A tragic hero must be essentially admirable and good.

Aristotle notions of tragedy

In a true tragedy a hero’s demise must come as a result of some persona error or decision.

Critical terms

Anagnorisis- the moment that the tragic hero suddenly realises the web of fate he has entangled himself in.

Hamartia- the error of the protagonist that eventually leads to the final event in the play. It can be something as simple as a miscalculation or slip-up.

Nemesis or retribution- the inevitable punishment or cosmic payback for the acts of pride or over-aspiration on the hero’s part.

Peripateia (plot reversal)- a crucial action on the part of the protagonist that changes his situation from seemingly secure to vulnerable.

Aristotelian notions of comedy

Ancient comedy originated from the komos, a curious spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently sang, danced, and cavorted rollickingly around the large phallus.

For most of its history, comedy has involved a high-spirited celebration of human sexuality and the triumph of eros.

In essence, a comedy is a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character.

Aristotle notions of comedy

Comic figures are usually average or below average in terms of moral character.

The most ridiculous characters are those who are high-born, but self-centered instead of truly noble.

The amphitheatre

Labeled version of amphitheatre

Important terms

Diazoma- horizontal walkway dividing upper and lower sections of the theatre.

Kerkis- wedge-shaped seating section of the theatron.

Klikames- stairways in the theatron Logeion- Greek stage. Orchestra- space between the audience

and the stage; primary chorus performance space in Greek theatre.

Important terms

Paraskenion- hellenistic projecting side additions to the skene.

Parodos- side entrance into the orchestra of a Greek theatre.

Skene- building behind the orchestra originally used for storage but provided a convenient backing for performances.

References

http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/glossary/glossary.htm

 http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html

The School for New Learning, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60604   © David L. Simpson, 1998