the origins of drama 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 ID: 696779
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Slide1
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.Slide9Slide10
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.Slide17Slide18
Costumes
Consisted of standard Greek attire
Chiton: a sleeveless tunic belted below the breast
Himation: draped around the right shoulder
Chlamys or short cloak: worn over the left shoulderSlide19
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.Slide20
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.Slide21
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.Slide22
Myths played a key role
in Greek dramaSlide23
The Myths – Why they were written
Explained the unexplainable
Justified religious practices
Gave credibility to leaders
Gave hope
Polytheistic (more than one god)
Centered around the twelve Olympians (primary Greek gods)Slide24
Explained the Unexplainable
When Echo tried to get Narcissus to love her, she was denied.
Saddened, she shriveled to nothing, her existence melting into a rock.
Only her voice remained.
Hence, the echo!Slide25
To justify religious practices
Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and wine.
“All hail the party god!”Slide26
To give credibility to leaders
Used myths to create family trees for their leaders, enforcing the made-up idea that the emperors were related to the gods and were, then, demigods.Slide27
To give hope
The ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice and pray to an ORACLE.
An oracle was a priest or priestess who would send a message to the gods from mortals who brought their requests.
What is the origin of hope?
After unleashing suffering, famine, disease, and many other evils, the last thing Pandora let out was HOPE.Slide28
Mount Olympus…
…
Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the Olympians?Slide29
The Olympians Are the 12 Main GodsSlide30
The OlympiansSlide31
Zeus
King of gods
Heaven
Storms
Thunder
lightningSlide32
Poseidon
Zeus’s brother
King of the sea
Earthquakes
HorsesSlide33
Hades
Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
King of the Underworld (
Tartarus
)
Husband of
PersphoneSlide34
Ares
God of war
Athena
Goddess of wisdom
Practical arts
WarSlide35
Hephaestus
God of fire
Craftspeople
Metalworkers
Artisans
God of the sun
Music
Poetry
Fine arts
Medicine
ApolloSlide36
Hermes
Messenger to the gods
Trade
Commerce
Travelers
Thieves & scoundrelsSlide37
Dionysus
God of Wine
Partying (Revelry)Slide38
Hera
Queen of gods
Women
Marriage
ChildbirthSlide39
Hestia
Goddess of Hearth
Home
Community
Demeter
Goddess of Harvest
Agriculture
Fertility
Fruitfulness
Mom to PersephoneSlide40
Aphrodite
Goddess of love
and beauty
Goddess of hunting and the moon.
ArtemisSlide41
Types of Greek Drama
Comedy
Satyr
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.Slide42
Word Origin
The word “comedy” comes from the Greek word “
komos
” which means “band of revelers.”Slide43
Comedies
Not admitted to Dionysus festival until very late into the Greece’s golden age - 487 B.C.
The first comedies were mainly satirical and mocked men in power for their vanity and foolishness
The first master of comedy was the playwright Aristophanes
Style: exaggerated, farcical, focus on sensual pleasuresSlide44
Satyr Plays
These were short plays performed between the acts of tragedies. They made fun of the plight of the tragedy's characters.
The satyrs were mythical half-human, half-goat servants of Dionysus. Slide45
Word Origin
Does the term Satyr remind you of any modern day term?
The Satyr and the Satyr plays spawned the modern word “
satire.”Slide46
Tragedy
The word tragedy came to be derived from the Greek
tragos
(goat) and
ode
(poem). Tragedy literally means goat song or goat poem.Slide47
Why read Tragedy?
Strength of character
Perseverance
Courage
Inspiration
The dignity of the human spiritSlide48
Aristotle’s “Poetics,” an essay about drama in which he discusses
tragedy and
the tragic heroSlide49
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 heroSlide50
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 tragedySlide51
Sophocles
The Greatest of the
G
reek playwrightsSlide52
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 justiceSlide53
Oedipus the KingSlide54
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 playSlide55
OEDIPUS REX - Background
Sophocles opens his play with a situation very familiar to the people of Athens:
a plague
with no
end in
sight!Slide56
Themes & symbols
Sight vs. Blindness Fate vs. Free WillAction vs. Reflection
The Quest for Identity or Self
The Nature of Innocence and Guilt
The Abuse of Power
Sins of the Father
Even the Mightiest Can Fall
Crossroads
Swollen footSlide57
The Oedipus Myth
The myth of Oedipus — which also appears briefly in Homer — represents the story of a man's doomed attempt to outwit fate.
Sophocles‘s tragedy dramatizes Oedipus‘s painful discovery of his true identity, and the despairing violence the truth unleashes in him.
Warned by the oracle at Delphi that their son will kill his father, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes try to prevent this tragic destiny. Slide58
DelphiSlide59
The Oedipus Myth
Laius pierces his son's feet and gives him to a shepherd with instructions to leave the baby in the mountains to die.
But pitying the child, the shepherd gives him to a herdsman, who takes the baby far from Thebes to Corinth.
There, the herdsman presents the child to his own king and queen, who are childless.
Without knowing the baby's identity, the royal couple adopt the child and name him Oedipus ("swollen-foot").Slide60
The Oedipus Myth
Oedipus grows up as a prince of Corinth, but hears troubling stories that the king is not his real father.
When he travels to Delphi to consult the oracle, Oedipus learns the prophecy of his fate, that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Slide61
The Oedipus Myth
Horrified, he determines to avoid his terrible destiny by never returning home.
Near Thebes, Oedipus encounters an old man in a chariot with his attendants.
When the old man insults and strikes him in anger, Oedipus kills the man and his servants. Slide62
The Oedipus Myth
The old man, of course, is Oedipus‘s father, Laius, but Oedipus does not realize this.
Outside Thebes, Oedipus meets the monstrous Sphinx, who has been terrorizing the countryside. Slide63
The Oedipus Myth
The Sphinx challenges Oedipus with her riddle: "What goes on four feet at dawn, two at noon, and three at evening?" Oedipus responds with the right answer ("A man") and the monster destroyed herself.Slide64
The Oedipus Myth
The Theban people proclaim him a hero, and when they learn that Laius has been killed, apparently by a band of robbers, they accept Oedipus as their king.
Oedipus marries Jocasta, and they have four children. Thus, despite all his efforts to
prevent it,
Oedipus
fulfills
the dreadful
prophecy.Slide65
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.