The Golden Age of Ancient Greek Theatre - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Golden Age of Ancient Greek Theatre

the origins of dramaSlide2

The Origins Of Drama

Created to celebrate Dionysus,

the ancient Greek god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and ritual madness and ecstasy. 

He was also known as 

Bacchus

, the name adopted by the RomansSlide3

drama

The term comes from a Greek word

dran

meaning "action," which is derived from “to do.”Slide4

Thespian

From the name

Thespis

, the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a playSlide5

the

chorus

15 men

Sang lyric poetry

Performing was regarded as a civic duty

Wore robes and masksSlide6

Functions of the chorus

an agent: gives advice, asks, takes part

establishes ethical framework, sets up standard by which action will be judged

ideal spectator - reacts as playwright hopes audience would

sets mood and heightens dramatic effects

adds movement, spectacle, song, and dance

rhythmical function - pauses / paces the action so that the audience can reflect.Slide7

The Theatre

of

Dionysus

The first plays were performed in the Theatre of Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the 5th

century

These theatres proved to be so popular they soon spread all over Greece. Slide8

Amphitheatres

Plays were performed out-of-doors.

The side of the mountain was scooped out into a bowl shape, something like our amphitheatres today, and tiers of stone seats in concentric semi-circles were built on the hill.

These theatres often seated as many as 20,000 spectators, with a special first row being reserved for dignitaries.Slide9
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Theatron

The

theatron

(literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The

theatron

was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra.Slide11

Orchestra

The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was

normally

circular. It was

a level space

where the chorus

would dance, sing,

and interact with

the actors who were on the stage (called the Proskenion -

proh-SKAY-nee-on

) in front of the skene. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar.Slide12

Skene

The skene -

SKAY-nay

(literally, “tent") was the building

directly behind the stage in

which costumes were stored, and was usually

decorated as a palace or building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. Origination of the word “scene.”Slide13

The Actors

All of the actors were men. No girls allowed.

The actors played multiple roles, so a wooden, cork, or linen mask was used to show the change in character or mood. Slide14

The masks were worn for many reasons :

1. Visibility

2. Acoustic Assistance

3. Few Actors, Many Roles

4. CharacterizationSlide15

Modern-day replicas

Hero-King

Comedy (Servant or Herald )

Tragedy (Weeping Chorus)Slide16

Working in the Space

Because of the distance between actors and the audience, the actors used broad gestures and histrionic speech.

The actor made himself taller by wearing thick-soled shoes and a high head piece.

The masks assisted in projecting the actor’s voice through a type of inside megaphone.Slide17
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The deus-ex-machina

DAY-uhs eks ma-kuh--nuh

(god from the machine) was a crane-like device occasionally used for lowering in a god to assist the protagonist

in neatly solving his problems.Slide19

The City

Dionysia Festival

In the sixth century BC, the Athenian ruler, Pisistratus, established the 'City Dionysia,' a festival of entertainment held in honor of the god Dionysus.

This festival featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and poetry.

Playwrights presented a series of three tragedies (a trilogy).

Interspersed among the three plays in the trilogy were satyr plays.Slide20

The City Dionysia Festival

The entire city would be in attendance.

All other businesses not directly involved with the 6-day festival would shut down so that everyone could attend.

The government even offered financial assistance to those who could not afford to attend.Slide21

Types of Greek Drama

Comedy

Satyr (SATIRE)

Tragedy

Comedy and tragedy were the most popular types of plays in ancient Greece. Hence, the modern popularity of the comedy and tragedy masks to symbolize theatre.Slide22

Tragedy

The word tragedy came to be derived from the Greek

tragos

(goat) and

ode

(poem). Tragedy literally means goat song or goat poem.Slide23

Why read Tragedy?

Strength of character

Perseverance

Courage

Inspiration

The dignity of the human spiritSlide24

Aristotle’s “Poetics,” an essay about drama in which he discusses

tragedy and

the tragic heroSlide25

of the Elite Class / mighty figure

suffers a Downfall / reversal of fortune

Neither Wholly good

nor wholly evil

Downfall is the

result of a

Fatal Flaw

Endures uncommon

suffering

Recognizes the consequences of his actions

Traits of the central character of a tragedy – tragic heroSlide26

Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends

Tragic actions take place offstage

Central Character has a moment

of recognition – “Oh, now I get it!”

Audience experiences pity and fear

Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis

Frequently used messengers to

relate information

Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretations of

events

Focus was on psychological and ethical attributes of characters,

rather than physical and sociological

Traits of the a tragedySlide27

Sophocles

The Greatest of the

G

reek playwrightsSlide28

Sophocles (496-406 bc)

His plays are more character-driven rather than choric

He is credited with adding a third character

His works include:

Oedipus Rex

,

Antigone

, and

Electra

Sophocles’ surviving plays (written after 440 B.C.) are deeply troubling

These plays depict characters caught up in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human justiceSlide29

Oedipus the KingSlide30

OEDIPUS REX

one of the world’s greatest tragedies

Said by Aristotle to be the perfect tragedy

The audience was familiar with the myth of Oedipus, so there would be

dramatic irony

when watching the playSlide31

OEDIPUS REX - Background

Sophocles opens his play with a situation very familiar to the people of Athens:

a plague

with no

end in

sight!Slide32

Themes & symbols

Sight vs. Blindness Fate vs. Free WillAction vs. ReflectionThe Quest for Identity or Self

The Nature of Innocence and Guilt

The Abuse of Power

Sins of the Father

Even the Mightiest Can FallSlide33

The Final Curtain

By the time of Sophocles’s death in 406 BC, the golden era of Greek drama was ending.

Athens was overrun in 404 BC by the Spartans and was later torn apart by constant warring with other city states, eventually falling under the dominion of Alexander the Great and his Macedonian armies.

Theatre went on but did not return to the same creative heights until Elizabethan England two millennia later.