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Greek Theatre

Greek Theatre. Theatre’s beginning. The Festival of Dionysus. Dionysus- god of wine and fertility. 8 th -7 th centuries B.C.: contests of choral dancing were held. First definite record of drama in Greece is in 534 B.C. Contest for Best Tragedy instituted.

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Greek Theatre

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  1. Greek Theatre Theatre’s beginning

  2. The Festival of Dionysus • Dionysus- god of wine and fertility. • 8th-7th centuries B.C.: contests of choral dancing were held. • First definite record of drama in Greece is in 534 B.C. • Contest for Best Tragedy instituted. • Winner of first contest is Thespis. • Playwrights wrote 3 tragedies and one satyr play.

  3. Performance of Greek Theatre • Plays were performed in the daytime • Women were not allowed to take part in the contests so men played male and female roles. • The playing of multiple roles was made possible by masks. • 3 actors were required for the performance of a tragedy. • All 3 actors played multiple roles. • Chorus consisted of between 12 and 50 men. • Chorus allowed actors time to go backstage and change masks.

  4. Masks • Prevented the audience from identifying the face of any actor with one character in the play. • Had exagerated facial expressions. • Helped the audience identify the gender, age, and social rank of the characters. • “Hypokrite” • Greek word for actor, means “wearer of masks” or “answerer”

  5. Greek Tragedy • The first three plays of the festival were tragedies- plays where the main character fails to reach a goal or is overcome by opposing forces. • Rules of Greek Theatre • Play happens in real time. • No violence is shown on stage (violence committed offstage and discussed by chorus) • One or two major sets.

  6. Greek Comedy • Consisted of critiques and scathing attacks on important Greek figures. • Poked fun at the members of the audience. • Scene set on an Athenian street • Events seldom occur- they are merely talked about. • Masks and fantastic costumes. • Bawdy

  7. Notable Greek Authors • Aristophanes • Only well known Greek Comedy writer. • Most known for The Frogs, The Clouds, and Lysistrata. • Aeschylus • Expanded the number of actors and reduced the number actors • Wrote the only surviving Greek trilogy The Oresteia. • Tells the story of Agamemnon’s murder. • Sophocles • Balanced life events between the power of the gods and consequences of human action. • Only seven of his plays have survived. • Most known for Oedipus Rex and Antigone. • Euripides • Emphasized relationships and pathos- human sorrow and compassion. • Most known for The Trojan Women and Medea.

  8. Vocabulary • Orkestra- a circular acting space in the center of a Greek theater; translates into “dancing place” • Thymele- Altar stone at center of orkestra • Teatron- Spectator seating; translates into “seeing place” • Skene- Stage building behind orkestra; where we get the words “scene” and “scenery.” • Parados- entry ramps for the chorus between the teatron and skene • Periaktoi- Three-sided turnable column used as a scenic knowledge; placed in space between columns of skene. • Machina- Crane-like device used to suspend celestial figures above the action

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