the thinkers and thespians

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The Thinkers and Thespians

Minoan Age – 2700BCE - 1400BCE – Crete – palace at Knossos - peaceful

Mycenaean Age – 1600-1100 BCE – Heroic Age – Kings - TroyDark Age – 1100-800BCE

Archaic Age – 800-480 (Xerxes Invasion) BCE – city states major written works and the Persian Wars

Classical Age - 510 (fall of last Athenian Tyrant) – 323 BCE (Death of Alexander the Great) • Development of Democracy• Philosophies

The Story So Far

Philosophy – Literally means love of wisdom Addresses the largest questions of the universe using exclusively logic and thought experimentsIs generally considered the source of all other types of inquiry – in any field, keep asking “why?” and you’ll get into philosophy quickly.

Philosophy

Ancient Greek Philosophy – foundation for western inquiryThe Socratic method• Questions and truthful responses

can distil truth, if you eliminate ideas that lead to contradiction• Basis for the scientific inquiry

and scientific method

The door is now open to some truly great thinking!

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

  “The unexamined life is not worth living.” 

“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”  “Know thyself.” 

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” 

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” 

“Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.” 

“I am not an Athenian nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world.” 

“Let him who would move the world first move himself.” 

“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” 

Socrates Says:

A pupil of SocratesMost of what we know of Socrates comes from Plato’s writings, so their personal philosophies are indistinguishable from one another

Plato (428-348 BCE)

Meta Physics – What you see is NOT what you get!•The allegory of the cave – heightened role of philosophy

“The Republic”•Philosopher King as Head leading the productive and protective •Family Life – Platonic Love

Plato’s Works

Cosmos as fixed and unchanging God on the Outside as an Unmoved Mover

Aristotle – Order of the Cosmos

The Great Chain of Being• God – angels – demons – stars – moon – kings – princes – nobles – men – wild – domesticated – trees – plants – precious stones – precious metals – other stones – earth (alchemy)•subdivisions

Aristotle

Also wrote extensively on the art of story telling and so is heavily influential in…

Aristotle

Drama

Thespis Acting Competitions!The styles of Plays• Tragedy: 1-to-3 – firm structure with prologue and

3 scenes

• Comedy – Aristotle says “laughable people blundering or being ugly, with no harm done” – the sit com

• Satyr Plays: a reimagining of the mythology

Drama

Seating for 14,000Theatron (watching place) built on a slope for best acoustics and viewing angles

Functions of Masks• Character over actor• Close-up• One actor playing many roles• Information of character• Men only

Masks