Greek Theatre

Dionysis• Greek god of wine, fertility,

and revelry

• Events of his life linked him to the cycle of the seasons and the recurring pattern of birth, maturity, death, and rebirth

• Worship of Dionysus promoted fertility, guaranteed the return of spring, and provided an ample harvest

source: http://www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Images/Beauty/hermdioh-l.jpeg

City Dionysus

• Home of a large festival started by Peisistratus, ruler of Athens from 560-510 A.D.

• Festival where drama was first presented

• Known as the home of drama

source: http://www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Images/Beauty/hermdioh-l.jpeg

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/TDA/tda_i7.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/greek.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

Theatron• “seeing place” where the audiences

sat in seats carved into the mountainside

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/TDA/tdamain.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

Orchestra•“dancing place” where the

chorus, and later actors, performed.

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/greek.html

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/TDA/tdamain.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

Skene

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/TDA/tdamain.html

Parts of a Greek AmphitheatreSkene• “little hut” or

house at the back of the proskenion with one or more doors and an upper level used for the appearance of gods or to represent high places.

Proskenion

• main acting area in front of the skene.

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/greek.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

source: http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/TDA/tdamain.html

Parts of a Greek Amphitheatre

Periaktoi• 3-sided scenery which was

rotated to change locale. Triangular prisms with a different scene painted on each of their three sides.

Pinakes• Painted panels similar to our

modern flats.

Parts of a Greek AmphitheatreEccyclema (Ekkyklema)• A wagon for wheeling out

bodies in tragedies. Rolled out of the skene because there was no violence allowed

on stage.

Deus ex machina• “god on machine” – a crane like device

which lowered gods down to wrap up the story line.

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of Tragedy534 B.C.• First theatre contest for the best

tragedy at City Dionysia.

•Thespis is credited as being the first winner.• also known as the first “actor” to step out of the

chorus.

Origin of TragedyTragedy• literally means “goat song”

• it was believed that the chorus danced for a goat as a prize or around a goat which was then sacrificed.

• emerged out of improvisations by the leaders of the dithyrambs.

• dithyramb: consisted of an improvised story, sung by the choral leader, and arefrain, sung by the chorus

Origin of TragedyActors & Acting•Dithyramb /Chorus

•Consisted of a group of 50 men who chanted stories and danced in unison in the festival event.

•Words spoken by the chorus came to represent the opinions of the people.

• Importance of chorus reduced as actors moved out front.

Actors & Acting

•“Three actor rule” dictated that only 3 actors could perform at one time.

•To accommodate this rule, actors often portrayed more than one character. (Leaving and returning as a different character.)

•This rule was softened to allow supernatural characters to appear in non-speaking roles.

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of TragedyActors & Acting

•Greeks placed emphasis on voice.

Actors were judged by the beauty of tone

and ability to adapt to their speaking to the mood and character.

Actors & Acting

•Facial expression was of no importance.

•actors were always masked.

•gestures and movement were simplified and broadened so they could be seen from far away.

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of TragedyActors & Acting•All players, except flute

players, wore masks.

•Masks covered the entire head, thus included the appropriate hair style beard, ornaments, and other features.

Actors & Acting(masks cont.)

•Masks were made of stiffened linen, cork, carved wood, or leather. To shape the mask, the artist molded material around a marble face (like papier-mâché).

•These masks covered the entire head of the actor.

•The white of the eye was painted while the part of the pupil remained open for the actor to see the stage.

Origin of Tragedy

Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.)

•Developed the first written discussion of tragedy.

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of Tragedy

Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.)

Definition of a Tragic Hero• Comes from nobility• Has a Tragic Flaw (simple mistake

or a weakness in character)• Encounters a reversal of fortune• Suffers a downfall• Recognizes flaw (in a catharsis)

Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.)

Requirements for Plot/Action• Exposition• Rising Action• Climax• Falling Action• Denouement/Resolution

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of Tragedy

PlaywrightsAeschylus

• Earliest Greek tragedy playwright

• Added the 2nd actor

• Wrote Orestia, a trilogy

PlaywrightsSophocles

• Added the 3rd actor

• Wrote Oedipus and Antigone

Aristotle’s Unities Aristotle described tragedy as "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude."

The Unities are:•Action•Place•Time

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of Tragedy

Aristotle’s Unities

•Action

Action must have an identifiable beginning, middle, and end; a harmonious correlation of whole and parts; a series of events which follow one another inevitably and are related in sequence.

Origin of Tragedy

Aristotle’s Unities

•Place

action must be confined to a single geographical area.

•Time

action must take place within the time frame of a single day.

The Six Elements of Drama

from Aristotle's Poetics

1. Plot or mythos •(refer to plot notes for more info)•central conflict in the story•in comedy, there must be poetic

justice (bad guy “gets it” in the end.

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of TragedyThe Six Elements of

Dramafrom Aritotle’s Poetics

2.Character or dianoia

• (see tragic hero notes for more info)• protagonist – those for the idea• antagonist – those against the idea• neural – those required to be there

to move the story along

The Six Elements of Drama

from Aritotle’s Poetics

3.Thought or ethos

• Meanings• Focus• Ideas explored

Origin of Tragedy

Origin of TragedyThe Six Elements of

Dramafrom Aritotle’s Poetics

4.Language/Diction or lexus

• The dialogue • The poetry

Origin of TragedyThe Six Elements of

Dramafrom Aristotle's Poetics

5.Music/Rhythm or melos

• all sound

6.Spectacle or opsis

• scenery and other visual elements

PlaywrightsAristophanes

• Greek Comedy playwright

• most famous play is Lysistrata

PlaywrightsEuripedes

• emphasized realism

• de-emphasized chorus

• Wrote Medea and Trojan Women