Theater History

Greek and RomanTheater

“Drama…an imitation of action not the action itself.”

-Aristotle

The role of “drama” in the ancient Greek culture was a

specific one: it played a significant part in the religious

rites of the period.

Lycurgus established a library in 330BC, which was the only way in which we have any record of any of these early Greek works.

While the Greeks were great at writing plays, they were not so great at keeping them for future reading, most of the early great works were lost.

How do we know about the Greeks?

Thespis, was the earliest recorded theater practitioner.

He was the first recorded winner of the competition for the performance of tragic plays.

It is unclear whether he was an actor, a playwright, a priest, or all or some of these.

I am a “Thespian”

His name lives on in the word “Thespian,” which is the name for

someone who practices the art of the theater.

Greek Theater

DIAGRAM OF AN ANCIENT GREEK THEATER SPACE

You might wish to copy this down, this looks strikingly similar to the diagram that you will be drawing and labeling on the test.

Orchestra: a circular area with an altar in the center where the performances took place

Skene: A building behind everything in which the actors changed costumes

The Ancient Greek Theatre Space

Proskenion: a raised platform that supported a small stage.

Audience: Usually the theatre spaces were built into hillsides and the seating was arranged in a large semi-circle

Eccyclema: a platform on wheels used to display the effects of violence within a play

Periaktos: Triangle prisms which could be pivoted to reveal three different backgrounds

The Ancient Greek Theatre Space

Deus ex Machina: (god from the machine) a crane-like machine that was used to lower an actor, playing the part of god, onto the stage in order to fix the problems at hand

THE CHORUS

a group of actors onstage who often spoke in unison to prepare the audience for what is about to happen or what has just taken place

The mask was designed to be oversized in order to better convey the expressed emotion to an audience in a large theater.

Some masks were designed with a megaphone-like mouth-piece in order to help the actor “project” his voice.

Masks also allowed for one actor to play many different parts in the course of one play.

The Mask

What does it mean to “project” your voice?

The Tragedy: A play in which the main character(s) struggle against an outside force, and usually comes to a disastrous conclusion. Most of the successful surviving Greek plays were in the “tragic” form.

The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights

Tragedies were often presented in threes, connected by a theme or storyline, and then followed by a comic piece called a “satyr play”

The Satyr play: These plays were used to “sugar the pill” of the tragedy and would often pick up the same story-line and poke fun at it. Sometimes these would be

indecent or base.

•A performer Sophocles (496-406 BC)

The Ancient Greek Plays & Playwrights

•Introduction of the third actor•His works became more actor-lead rather than chorus-lead

•Wrote over 100 plays – 20 won him first prize

ONLY SEVEN TEXTS SURVIVED

Ajax, The Trachiniae, Philoctetes, Electra

THE THEBAN LEGEND: His only remaining trilogy consists of “Oedipus Rex,” “Oedipus at Colonus,” and “Antigone.”

•Late start – studied philosophy and didn’t win a festival until age 40 (next at 54)

Euripedes (480-406 BC)

•Developed the Prologue•Emphasis on personal life – daily living•Wrote over 90 plays – 5 won him first prize

18 TEXTS SURVIVED

His plays often dealt with serious, controversial issues in society: roles of women and illegitimate children.

Many of his plays deal with a central female character that was shown as very strong

•Used pen-name (pseudonym) “Kallistratos”

Aristophanes (445-380 BC)

•He used his plays to poke fun at Euripedes

•Old Comedy: poked fun at period-specific events, people, and places

•Wrote over 40 comedies

11 TEXTS SURVIVED

The Clouds (mockery of Socrates & philosophy) The Frogs (mockery of Euripedes)

Many of his plays poke fun at the poor and democracy. It is said that he was desperately trying to fit in with “high class” people.

Roman Theater

•Philosopher and scientist

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

The Ancient Greek Influence

•“Cathartic Effect” – it allows the viewer to watch the experience without being to involved

Aristotle Quotes:

“The instinct for imitation is inherent in man from his earliest days, he learns earliest lessons by imitation.”

“Drama is an imitation of action not the action itself.”

Ancient Roman Theater

ROMAN MASKS

The Roman masks were now more specific to types of characters:

the handsome youth, the father, the prostitute, the parasite, the miser, the mother, the clever slave, and the braggart soldier

•A freed slave

Terence (190-159 BC)

The Ancient Roman Plays & Playwrights

•All of his plays were re-workings of Greek plays

•His works were characterized as “light and witty” with a sophisticated plot

ONLY SIX TEXTS SURVIVED

Andria, Hecyra, Heauton, Timorumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, Adelphi

•Four of his surviving plays are carbon-copies of Meander’s Greek comedies

Beginnings of “stealing” or “borrowing” works

•Roman comic actor

Plautus (254-184 BC)

•Plays based on Greek works•Plays included crude scenes, songs, and jokes

•Wrote over 130 plays - 20 TEXTS SURVIVED

Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD)

•Only example of Roman tragedy to survive •His father was a famous rhetorician so he was often referred to as “Seneca the Younger”

•Became tutor to Nero (emperor of Rome) – 65 AD he was implicated in a plot to assassinate Nero and was condemned to death but he took his own life