GREEK THEATRE

Influences on Greek culture

Polytheism Agriculture Many wars Fate

HOW THEATRE BEGAN

6th Century BC to 2nd Century AD

Rituals honoring Dionysus

Drama Competitions

THEATRES Amphitheatres Carved into

hillsides for acoustics and sight lines

Seated up to 15,000 people

The audience

Parts of a Greek theater

Theater at Delphi

Epidauros

Theater of Dionysus

The Skene The skene provided

the scenery. Actors made

entrances and exits. Actors could change

costumes and masks behind the skene.

Greek Origins of Theatre Terms

Choros Tragos Orkestra Thespis Skene Theatron

Protagonist Antagonist Hypocrite Deus ex

machina

The Actors All roles played

by men The role of the

chorus Thespis What they wore

The Chorus The chorus would

stand to the side of the dramatic action and chant their lines together. QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Function of the Chorus To explain the

current situation To bring the

audience up to date To comment on the

action To engage in

dialogue with the actors and offer them advice.

MASKS Illustrated a character’s

emotion Allowed for quick

character changes Distinguished female

characters Made the actors appear

larger Amplified the actors’

voices

Greek Theatre Masks

Plays and Playwrights Aeschylus: The Oresteia

(only surviving trilogy) Sophocles: Oedipus Rex

(emphasis on individual, complex characters)

Euripides: Medea (themes considered “unsuitable”)

Aristophanes: Lysistrata, The Frogs (broad comedies)

The Plays Religious myths Stories of mortals interacting with gods

and goddesses Kings and Queens Battles Family relationships of important

historical characters

Roman Theatre

Rome conquered Greece 146 BC Seneca wrote tragedies copying plots and structure

of Greek plays Comedies by Terrence and Plautus The Colosseum used for circuses and gladiator

spectacles