Purpose and origin

Drawn from religious rituals which were part of Greek religious cults

Plays were only performed during annual religious festivals

Audience did not simply watch the drama as modern audiences do - they were participants in the drama.

They would feel the emotions of the play which would lead to a “catharsis” or purifying of their emotions.

Theater of Dionysus at Athens

hollowed out hillside for acoustics

Parados – right and left entrances to the orchestra

Chorus and actors would enter through these entrances.

Orchestra - literally “dancing place”

center area about 90 feet in diameter

Skene - literally “tent”

low rectangular building with with uncovered passages at each end

skene

The skene was later given a simple painting on its front, hence skenery, or as we say it today, “scenery.”

It is in the skene where the actors changed their masks/costumes.

Theatron – “listening, viewing place”

The theatron formed a huge arc of stone tiers for seats crossed by passages to the seats.

The Athens theater could accomodate 17,000 people!

(The Staples Center in Los Angeles seats 20,000 max at Laker games.)

Thymele – altar to Dionysus (removable)

icky goat blood

Here is another ancient Greek theater that has been rebuilt.

parados

skene

orchestra

theatron

tourists…

Computer-generated reconstruction of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens

Acropolis and Parthenon

At the first official presentation of drama at Athens in 534 BC, the prize was won by Thespis.

That is why actors have been called “thespians.”

The parts of the play:

Parodos - entrance of the chorus and actors

Prologue - informs audience of circumstances of the play

Odes - sung by the chorus with dancing and marching between episodes - these contained parts that switched back and forth called strophe, antistrophe, and epode

Episodes - equivalent to acts

Exodos - conclusion - chorus marches out singing

Only 3 men acted in a play – no women – they changed costumes for different parts.

They wore large masks, so they did not show facial expressions, nor could they make any quick or violent movements.

-- Hence, there were NO scenes of violence -it was simply reported.

-- They were only able to use their voices as instruments of expression.

No realism in scenery - much of it was simply understood and imagined

The Athenians who attended the plays during the religious festivals would already know the stories and backgrounds of the plays.

The characters did not need to be explained because the plots of Greek tragedies were drawn in a religious fashion from well-known myths.

It was not the outcome of the plot that was important – everyone knew the ending – it was how the poet interpreted the plot.

Therefore, we as readers should know the plot before reading the play!

Sophocles (496 – 406 BC)

- Rich, handsome and popular- Held high offices of state- Won many dramatic prizes during

religious festivals - View of life was somber:

“Better for a man not to have been born.”

In his plays, Sophocles give attention to the hero rather than to the outside forces affecting the hero.

He was the first Greek playwright to introduce the third actor. Prior to Sophocles, playwrights only used two actors for all of the parts. This was a great innovation in Ancient Greek theater.

Two actors conversation

Three actors conflict

OR “Two is company, three is a crowd.”

Watch “Oedipus Rex Greek Tragedy”

video clip (at the bottom

of the English 12AP

webpage)