Greek Drama

Greek Drama

Greek Drama reflected the flaws and values of Greek society. In turn, members of society internalized both the positive and negative messages, and incorporated them into their daily lives. This concept of exposing society’s flaws and allowing the audience to learn from them is evident in contemporary theater.

Son of Zeus and Semele God of wine, fertility, grapes,

ecstasy, madness, pleasure, festivity, etc.

One of the 12 OlympiansResponsible for human impulsesDevine mission: eradicate all care

and worryDescribed as feminine; “man-

womanish”Honored him through theater

festivals

Dionysus

“…wait a moment while I fetch you some mellow wine, so that you may first make liberation to Zeus and the other immortals and then, if you like, enjoy a drink for yourself. Wine is a great comfort to a weary man…” (Hecabe  to Hector . Homer, Iliad 6.260).

Greek city-state known for its cultural, political and military power between 550 and 220 BCE

Festival known as City Dionysia held in March in honor of Dionysus.

Statue of Dionysus was carried into theater so that he could observe the performance

Athens as a center of Greek Culture

First resemblance of a Greek theater was in the Palace at Knossos, in Northern Crete

First formal Greek theater built in Athens between 550 and 534 BCE

Parts of a Greek Theater: Theatron-Seeing Space Orchestra-Dancing Place Skene Parados Thymele-Alter for Dionysus

Front rows reserved for distinguished visitorsOpen-air theater

Simple surrounding allowed audience to devote full attention to characters

Atmosphere & Set-up of a Greek Theater

Performance always preceded by a sacrifice to Dionysus

Prologue Parados First Episode First Stasimon Exodus

Sequence of a Play

Actors wore mask with exaggerated features and wide mouths so that their voices projected to the entire audience

Wore long, trailing robes with elaborate designs

At the bottom of each of the actors’ shoes was a 6 inch wooden sole to make them appear tall and intimidating

Carried themselves with grand esteem an moved gracefully about the stage

Costumes

The eccyclema- “object that is rolled out” In the rare occasion that violence was depicted

onstage, a slain victim was usually rolled out on this device

The machina- “machine” Crane used to fly in gods Occasionally used for comic effect

In general, playwrights liked to leave much of the action to the audience’s imagination

Stage Equipment

Job of choregos (think “The Producers”) to pay all expenses on a production, bulk of which went toward providing training and costumes for chorus

An estimate of approximately 1500 people needed to stage a play

A Greek historian named Plutarch claimed that Athenians spent more on their plays than on their military defense

Originally, admittance fee was 2 obolus Later, Pericles made it freeIt was either “sink or swim” when getting

production on it’s feet

Funding

Playwrights had to writers, as well as composers, choreographers, designers, directors and actors

Playwrights only received pay if they won first prize

Actors were chosen by lot from a pool of professionals

Speaking parts were allotted to three male characters

Switched costumes and masks if more characters were required to advance the plotline.

Playwrights and Actors

Thespis First actor First winner of the Dionysia Developed Tragedy Established dialogue between himself, the first

actor and the chorus Added chorus into the mix Responsible for many other theater rituals,

such as the wearing if masksLater Aeschylus established a second actor

and Sophocles added a third actor

Playwrights and Actors(cont.)

The word “chorus” literally means “dance”Most Greek choruses blended music, dance and songChorus began with 50 members, but dwindled to

about 12-15, as the training and costuming for them was very costly

Chorus entered orchestra during Parados and remained there for the whole play

Purpose of chorus was to create foreshadowing and suspense

Helps audience feel more involved in play Also to help the audience come to their own

conclusions about the events unfolding before them.

The Chorus

From Ritual to Theater

Tragodia in GreekDerived from the words Tragos, meaning

goat and oide, meaning song. Reason for this obscure origin has two possibilities:

1. Choruses were dressed in loin-skins of goats2. Prize for best song was a goat

Requirements for a Tragedian:1. Submit three tragedies to a magistrate

called the archon eponymos2. Also had to submit a satyr play

The Tragedy

Centered around the rise and downfall of the “hero”

The conclusion of a tragedy was usually a messenger coming out to tell the audience of the tragic consequences of the characters’ actions

The Tragedy(cont.)

Slapstick and crude humorFestival of Lenaia held in MarchComedies usually concluded with a “happy

ending” and the characters find a resolution to the original conflict

The Comedy

Greek Both Modern

•Maximum of 3 male actors, in addition to chorus

•Have a moral that actors/director/playwright is trying to convey to audience

•As many characters and of any gender as playwright deems necessary

•Plays divided into prologue, parados, episodes, stasimons and exodus

•Integrate music, dance and story

•Plays divided into scenes and acts

•Few and very simple special effects and props

•The Tragedy and The Comedy, including slapstick and satyr

•Many complex special effects and props

•Some religious significance

•Reaction of audience is very important to life of a play

•Purely entertainment

•Playwright was responsible to write, direct, choreograph, design and sometimes act in a play

•Similar set-up of theater

•Specific jobs are given to specialists. i.e. playwright writes script, director directs actors, etc.

Greek Theater vs. Modern Theater

THE ENDThanks for watching!