dating from c 700 bc religious festivals: most famously city dionysia patterned after egyptian...
TRANSCRIPT
Theatre of Ancient Greece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRLK7SogvE
Dating from c 700 BC
Religious festivals: Most famously City Dionysia
Patterned after Egyptian ceremonies in honor of Osiris
Processions, sacrifice and tragedy competition
Early tragedy in the form of DITHYRAMB: hymns sung and danced by the chorus in honor of the gods
6 days long
Winner would get wreath of laurel and their name carved on the theatre wall
Origins
First actor and inventor of Tragedy – tragic poet who stepped away from the chorus thereby inventing dialog from the dithyrambs. 534 BCE
Thespis
Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BCE)
7 of about 90 plays extant
Oldest extant plays
Introduction of second actor
Oresteia (only extant Greek trilogy)
His plays focused on a theme or
message. Often one principal
against another principal reconciled by
an even larger principal
Tragic Playwrights
Sophocles (c. 496-406 BCE)
Wrote more than 120 plays but only 7 extant
Ajax, Oedipus the King, Electra
Won 24 contests, never placed lower
than second
Introduced third actor
Mastery of structure – focused on
Plot and storyline
Tragic Playwrights
Euripides (c. 480 – 406 BCE)
Wrote about 90 plays, 18 extant
Medea, Andromache, The Trojan Women
Enormously popular in later periods, but only won two contests at the time•Dealt with taboo issues (love for stepson, murder of kids) •Questioned the idea of “fate” in tragedy•Unclear Dramatic structure
Deus ex machina
Counterbalanced by realistic characters and dialog; focus on character
Tragic Playwrights
Burlesque treatment of mythology
Rural setting
Lewd language and gestures, dancing, colloquial language
Performed between tragedies
Satyr Plays
Comedy (komoidia) was accepted at City Dionysia in 487-486 BCE.
Aristophanes (c 448- c 380) – Old Comedy
Lysistrata
Eating, drinking, sex, wealth, leisure
Political anti-war messages
Comedy
Role of the Chorus
• Adds dramatic energy with dances, songs and visual spectacle
• Establishes ethical and social framework (the voice of the common people)
• Sets overall mood of the play
• Slows the action, adds intervals to give audience time to reflect
• Acts as a character, asking questions, giving advice
Greek Chorus
Aristotle’s Poetics
Somewhere between 335-323 BCE the philosopher, Aristotle, created drama criticism
Poetics was probably notes from a lecture on “poetry” (“making”, includes tragedy, comedy, satyr plays)
Described the structure of plays, popular opinion of the playwrights, good and bad acting, elements of drama, etc.
Prologue – provides information about what has happened prior to the start of the play
Parados – Entrance of the Chorus – introduces chorus, gives exposition, sets mood
Episodes separated by Stasima (choral odes)
Exodos – conclusion and exit
• Inciting incident is late in play
• Death and violence offstage
• Frequent use of messengers
• Action is continuous and occurs in single location
Tragedy Structure
Mythos - plot
• Should contain reversal, recognition and suffering Should arouse fear and pity
Ethos – character
• Tragic accident should come from a mistake
• Main character should be good, appropriate and consistent
Dianoia - thought
Lexus - language
Melos – melody
Opsis – spectacle
Six Parts of Tragedy